Carter David: Financial Review Debate 
Carter David: Financial Review Debate 
[Volume:607;Page:4184] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (NZ National) 
: 
 It is always interesting to follow a contribution from United Future whose members come into the House and make impassioned speeches against Government policy and then proceed to vote to support that Government staying in power. 
I want to start my contribution today on the Appropriation (2001/02 Financial Review) Bill by saying how the earlier debate at 2 o’clock today will be a debate I will recall for the rest of my life. It was a poignant debate with some very very good speeches delivered by members of Parliament and delivered with passion. I certainly could not agree with all the comments that were made in that debate for instance the comments of Keith Locke who clearly held a strong personal view but it was one that I could not understand or agree with in any way at all. But when I thought again about the debate the speech that really did surprise me was the speech from Helen Clark the Prime Minister. She managed to take 10 minutes to give a very accurate history lesson on the situation but after her contribution I was left in absolute doubt as to the Government’s position on Iraq. 
I want to start now by talking about the financial review and the very interesting comments I heard at 7.30 this evening when Clayton Cosgrove started his contribution. He said that this debate would show sharp differences between the National Party and the Labour Party. I do not often agree with my colleague and friend from Christchurch but on this particular topic I totally agree with him. 
This debate does show a very clear difference between a lack of planning and a lack of vision held by the current Government. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: The people in Banks Peninsula have got vision. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: Banks Peninsula has certainly got vision. It is a wonderful part of New Zealand. However I want to talk about a financial plan for this country because I am deeply concerned that this country has no vision and no plan at the moment. We have had 4 years of good economic conditions yet this Government has taken a “cross your fingers and hope attitude” to the challenges that face this country. In only the last couple of weeks the Labour Party has been challenged in this House about whether it advanced the suggestion that it could raise New Zealand back into the top half of the OECD within 10 years. I think that would have been an admirable goal but it would have been a completely unrealistic goal especially when one considers that the Labour Party claimed it would do it within a decade. Yet as we started this parliamentary term the Prime Minister in question time in the House has suffered from amnesia. She said that she could not recall having ever set out a target to increase New Zealand into the top half of the OECD in 10 years. Even when her own statements were tabled in the House she completely denied that she had ever set such a target. 
I do not believe that New Zealand will be back in the top half of the OECD by 2011. However I say to the House that this is a challenge that must be faced by New Zealand and it will not be addressed unless the Government of the day is prepared to acknowledge that that sort of lift in the living standards of New Zealanders will not be achieved without taking some hard decisions. A large number of measures have been introduced by this Labour Government—now supported by United Future—over the last 4 years but I do not think that any of those measures will do anything to lift New Zealand into the top half of the OECD. 
As I arrived in the House this evening I had a chance to listen to the contribution from Georgina Beyer. She read what I think was obviously a well-prepared statement from the Labour research unit in which she expressed concern for low-income New Zealanders particularly low-income New Zealanders with families. 
I say to the House tonight that low-income New Zealanders are now far worse off in 2003 than they were in 1999. We have had information before this House again quite recently showing that the tax burden now paid by middle to low income New Zealanders has increased dramatically over the period of this Government. The OECD itself has produced figures and the report has been available for anybody who cares about that issue. That report proves substantially that low and middle income New Zealanders are now paying a higher burden of tax than they were only 4 years ago. The report also stated that only one other country in the world was recognised as finding itself in this situation—in fact with a worse record—and that was the Czech Republic. So I say to Georgina Beyer that if she is going to come to the Chamber and express concern about the tax burden that has been imposed on those people she has the opportunity to do something about it. 
The other thing that strikes me about people on low or middle incomes particularly those with children is that they are essentially price-takers of important commodities like electricity petrol and diesel. Yet this Government has again slammed through a 5 percent increase in fuel as the United Future member spoke about on the basis that the roads in Auckland would be improved. When I was last in Auckland I found no evidence at all of any progress— 
Hon Chris Carter 
: What year was that? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: It was recently I say to Chris Carter. It was this year and I found no evidence at all of any project that has been initiated by this Labour Government. 
Hon Paul Swain 
: “Spaghetti Junction” Grafton Bridge— 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: If Mr Paul Swain thinks that “Spaghetti Junction” is fixed to his satisfaction let me assure him that it is not. If “Spaghetti Junction” is an example of the Minister of Transport’s ability to fix roads then he would be better to stand aside become a marriage celebrant and have nothing to do with transport because that will not fix Auckland’s chaotic roads. 
The other issue I want to touch on briefly is electricity price increases. This country faces a major energy crisis. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: Where’s Max? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: Chris Carter should mark my words. This country faces a major energy crisis and I am not aware of any initiative by the Government firstly to recognise that or secondly to do something about it. 
Finally I want to talk on the interesting debate that has been started by John Tamihere on welfare dependency. There is a person who advanced a considered speech with some passion. 
Hon Steve Maharey 
: Who? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: The Minister cannot remember who it was. I thought Mr Maharey would certainly remember the comments of Mr Tamihere. But it was disappointing that having delivered that speech with conviction he then had to roll over to Helen Clark and come back into the House and apologise for delivering it. John Tamihere knows the damage that welfare dependency is doing to unfortunate New Zealanders on low incomes. Steve Maharey knows the damage it is doing but he is callous enough to want to leave those people on welfare dependency because he thinks that that way they will vote Labour. 
I say to John Tamihere that if he believes in what he is saying he should not roll over when Helen Clark says he has embarrassed the Government and he should not apologise for something he believes in because Mr Tamihere was right. Welfare dependency does not do anybody any good at all.