2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterCHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister2. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister) (remote): Yes particularly this Government's decision to partner with businesses to get ahead transition to low-emission alternatives reduce their reliance on volatile global energy markets improve productivity and futureproof our energy system to ensure that a cheaper more secure energy supply becomes the norm. As part of our emissions reductions plan we're investing $650 million over four years to increase the size of the funding available to the successful Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) programme enabling us to expand support to small business and increase the number and type of projects that receive money including high-impact decarbonisation projects of national significance. The original $69 million GIDI fund has been a huge success having helped fund 53 major industrial decarbonisation projects all contracted for completion by April 2024 and over their lifetime are estimated to save 7.46 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to taking 134000 cars off the road.Christopher Luxon: How can Kiwis have any confidence in tomorrow's Budget spending announcements when KiwiBuild—the Government's flagship announcement in 2017—has only delivered 1.3 percent of the 100000 houses that were promised?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because if you look over the lifetime of this Government and the investment that we have made consecutively through each of our Budgets they have been unapologetically focused on New Zealanders and reducing the impacts of cost of living right from back to 2017. We started the public housing build programme for instance in Budget 2018 and it's now delivered over 9000 public houses. But we did more than that. In that first Budget we extended free and low-cost doctors visits to children under 14—now reaching 56000 young people—and extended eligibility for the community services card. We've now through the Warmer Kiwi Homes project—which we announced in that first 2018 Budget—seen almost 80000 homes insulated and heating installed. I could speak to examples in Budget 2020 and Budget 2021 where we've done the same.Christopher Luxon: How can Kiwis have any confidence in tomorrow's Budget spending announcements when this Government once promised to improve housing affordability but instead delivered the fastest house price growth on record and a 360 percent increase in the State house wait-list?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again here I would contrast the Government's investment in housing which remains a critical focus for us against the pledge of the Opposition to do nothing more than (a) sell public housing as they did when they were in office; and (b) Resource Management Act reform which this Government was the first to progress—despite them having nine years they did nothing. As I've already said 9000 public homes have been built under this Government more homes than any Government since the 1970s. We have record consents continuing to be delivered demonstrating the work we've done to ensure that we have that ongoing stimulus in our housing market. This sits alongside the work we've done on transitional housing places homelessness response and our ongoing [Audio missing] continuing to get first-home buyers into the market. Finally I contrast the work we have done to even the playing field for first-home buyers against the Opposition's plan which is to put $1 billion back into the pockets of those who speculate in the housing market.David Seymour: If a publicly owned home is sold as the Prime Minister just accused the Opposition of doing can people still live in it or does it magically disappear?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Well what I can tell you it doesn't do is house those on the lowest incomes who need income-related rents and access to housing which is more affordable. That is exactly what we saw with the sell-down under the last National Government.David Seymour: Can the Prime Minister tell the House the current market price of a New Zealand unit under the emissions trading scheme (ETS) and can she name one initiative in the emissions reduction plan announced this week that will reduce carbon emissions for less than that amount per tonne?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The current price if my memory serves is around $76 and if we were to stick with the plan—if you can call it that—that seems to be proposed by both ACT and National it is to allow the ETS and the carbon price to do all the heavy lifting for the emissions reductions that New Zealand needs to undertake. That would mean for instance if we wanted to see the same reduction that we're proposing in an increase in the uptake of low-emissions vehicles you would have to see a considerable increase in that carbon price and that would mean New Zealanders would for instance be paying at the pump. Christopher Luxon: How can Kiwis have any confidence in tomorrow's Budget spending announcements when one of her first big promises—Auckland light rail—was supposed to be finished two years ago but still doesn't even have a business case let alone a single piece of track? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because in the middle of an economic crisis the likes of which we've not seen in a hundred years we have received two triple A credit ratings from the two leading agencies GDP is up 5.6 percent we have some of the lowest unemployment on record and our economy is in a better position than it was pre-COVID. If the only other point of comparison is for instance how this Government has done compared to the Government post the last economic crisis from the global financial crisis then toe to toe we have outperformed. Christopher Luxon: How can Kiwis have any confidence in tomorrow's Budget spending announcements when despite announcing $1.9 billion for mental health the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission found that there has been no increase in access to specialist mental health services for the last five years? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I notice the member is wilful in ignoring some of the substantive points that were made by the commission which acknowledged of course that the over a billion dollars' worth of mental health spending that was put in by this Government was focused on building primary mental health care which previously did not exist in this country and as a result we're seeing tens of thousands of appointments now available to New Zealanders that did not exist before. In addition you've seen pre-Budget announcements just this week of additional funding going into acute mental health which is another area of need. But if we want to reduce demand in acute mental health we must provide earlier interventions for more New Zealanders which is exactly what this Government has done. Christopher Luxon: How can Kiwis have any confidence in this Government's spending announcements in education when despite spending $5 billion more per year there's been zero improvement in maths and literacy and only 60 percent of our children are attending school regularly? Hon Chris Hipkins: Based on what statistic? Hon Grant Robertson: Making it up. Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because that additional investment—SPEAKER: Order! Order! I apologise to the Prime Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister knows that it is out of order to accuse a member of making something up. Hon Grant Robertson: I withdraw and apologise. Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because as the member may or may not know the considerable investment that we've put in as a Government has been to overcome years of under-investment in our education system. That includes school property of which we have put in $1.2 billion; and including for instance dealing with pay equity issues in the sector to the tune of over $700 million; learning support to the tune of $260 million; making it more affordable for our parents to access education for their kids by removing the requirement for donations; making it more accessible for our kids to go into post - secondary education with first-years free; and a policy I'm especially proud of because of the impact it has on families with low incomes: the healthy school lunch programme. All of these are investments we've made into our education system which ultimately improve access and ensure that kids have access to the school services they deserve. Hon Chris Hipkins: Can the Prime Minister confirm that the most recent literacy and numeracy statistics available were from the Programme for International Student Assessment survey that was taken shortly after Labour formed the Government of 15-year-olds who'd received the vast majority of their schooling under the last National Government? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I can confirm that and I also note this is a pattern of behaviour from the Opposition. When we first came into office they spent a considerable amount of time accusing us of not having improved child poverty when in fact the statistics they were using were for their time in office. Christopher Luxon: Isn't it the case that when this Government announces billions of dollars of more spending in tomorrow's Budget New Zealanders now know that all that new spending does not mean better outcomes because we have a Labour Government that simply cannot get things done? SPEAKER: Order! The Prime Minister—Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Mr Speaker—SPEAKER: No no. Order! That question is not in order.