Robertson GrantGENERAL DEBATEHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business.We've had a couple of interesting questions during question time today and Mr Parker actually just referred to one of those which was around what has happened to the National Party's policy on congestion charging. We did have an inquiry at the transport and industrial relations committee and at that inquiry every single political party said that they endorsed congestion charging including the National Party. Then a mere matter of months later the National Party have changed their position and they no longer support congestion charging. So this really does emphasise the importance of remembering the National Party's slogan for this election: Backtracking for New Zealand."When we come to thinking about the election that will occur in October this year like all elections New Zealanders will approach this election with a mixture of hope and a mixture of fear. This has been an incredibly challenging time for many New Zealanders: meeting the additional cost of living pressures that they have seen off the back of the COVID pandemic and the stresses and strains that put on many New Zealand households. So what they are looking for from a Government—and indeed what they have seen from this Government—is that we will be alongside them every step of the way just as we did through COVID making sure that New Zealanders were kept well and safe and healthy making sure that businesses kept going making sure that we supported New Zealanders across the board to come through COVID in better shape than most other countries and then looking to a future where we continue to look after New Zealanders where we continue to provide housing—in particular State housing. I am extremely proud of the 12000 additional State houses that this Government has put in place.I am also proud of the 77000 children who we have lifted out of poverty as a result of the investments that we have made. I am proud of the fact that as a Government we have looked to the identity of New Zealanders and have said "We believe we can celebrate Matariki. We believe that there is room to look at our histories in our schools—that we are proud as a nation. We must keep learning from our history and look into our future." So I am proud of all of those things. They are the things that give hope to the future: the investments we're making in infrastructure in the game development sector in research and innovation to grow the high-paying jobs and to lower our emissions. That is what gives New Zealanders hope. But what gives New Zealanders fear is the opposite—what is at risk if the Government changes.I was fascinated to hear Christopher Luxon say on the radio this morning that there was "good alignment" between ACT and National. Well we know on this side of the House what that means. That means that public services across the board are at risk as a result of an ACT-National Government. The letters that we get from people about the winter energy payment about what that means to New Zealanders—to Maggie to Glenys to Leigh to Jane—who just in the last few days have written to the Government to say thank you for the winter energy payment. That's gone with ACT and that's gone with National because of the good alignment that they have.There was one other interesting thing that Christopher Luxon said this morning when he said that they hadn't got their tax policy out because they were "just making sure we've got everything fully funded". They've finally cottoned on—they've finally cottoned on—that if they actually want a tax policy they have to work out how they're going to pay for it. Now to the credit of the ACT Party they have worked out how they're going to pay for their barmy tax policy: they're going to cut public services. They're going to cut contributions to superannuation. They're going to cut welfare benefits. And at the moment that's the alternative.So what's at risk at this election is good strong public services a commitment to climate change action and a commitment to supporting the most vulnerable New Zealanders. That's what's at risk. That's at risk from an ACT-National Government who believe that tax cuts at all costs is what is needed even if that means the undermining of our health system even if that means the undermining of our education system. This is a party who went to the last election with a fiscal hole the "Bermuda Fiscal Triangle" and nothing has changed. That is a party over there with an unfunded tax policy versus the hope that this Government gives New Zealanders."