Robertson GrantGENERAL DEBATEHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. Yesterday was a proud day for this Government. Our first Budget passed through the parliamentary process and what that Budget has done is lay the foundations for a New Zealand that will leave behind the neglect of the last nine years and the failures of an economic model that left too many people behind. One of the critical areas of investment in that Budget was in education and it is important to note today the first across-the-board funding increase for early childhood education in a decade in this Budget. There are 1500 new teachers in this Budget a tripling of the amount of new money for learning support for special education in this Budget and alongside that the pay equity announcement from yesterday for the very people who support the most vulnerable in our education system—finally starting to be paid what they deserve.I want to congratulate Minister Chris Hipkins for the work that he is leading in the education sector. I also want to congratulate Minister Hipkins and the Prime Minister for fronting up on the forecourt of Parliament today to say to teachers We hear your concerns. We want to work with you as we are to build this education system up so that our children have the very best opportunities and we will keep working with you to do that." I congratulate the Minister on fronting up. Where was the National Party today? Where was the National Party today? Standing up in this House crying crocodile tears for the teachers of New Zealand and not one National Party member fronted up to the teachers. What that tells me is that they know where the blame lies: it lies with them. It lies with nine years of disrespecting teachers underfunding education to the point that the offer on the table today as Chris Hipkins has told the House is double—more than double—what the National Party offered throughout their term in Government. We are getting on with the job of rectifying nine years of neglect. We will keep working with teachers to make sure every child in this country gets the opportunities that they deserve.The Budget that passed yesterday has a lot of detail and important funding in it but I want to talk briefly about a couple of the big-picture things that this Government is trying to do because what this Government has done in coming together with the three parties in it is acknowledge that it is time to transform this country—transform this country to one where we face the future of work with confidence where programmes like Mana in Mahi - Strength in Work deliver to our young people opportunities for apprenticeships. It's a Government that's prepared to face up to the fact that we can't go on pretending climate change is not happening that we're actually going to not only address those issues but find the opportunities for good jobs that actually protect the environment and make sure that we're growing the economy just like the work on the billion trees programme just like the work on the Green Investment Fund.Then thirdly there is the big-picture issue facing New Zealand of reducing inequality. We cannot go on in a country claiming success about growth rates when we are leaving too many people behind. That's why this Budget prioritised putting money into the pockets of low and middle income families. That's why the minimum wage is growing and it's why we're backing Iain Lees-Galloway and the employment relations bill because it's about fairness and growing wages. No amount of scaremongering from the other side of the House will get past the fact that we are putting in place a framework where employers and employees actually work together where we value not just freedom of speech but freedom of association as well where we actually have a Government that recognises that workplace law and working together is the way to go.I've got one piece of advice that I want to leave the Opposition with and it's this: if you're going to call on a retired District Court judge every time someone leaks from your caucus David Parker's going to have to grow the judiciary because there won't be enough people to do that. So I say this to the National Party: it's time to stop looking in the rear-vision mirror. It's time to get on board with a Government that's actually making sure that we're going to restore some fairness in this country that we're going to grow the economy sustainably and that we're actually going to be prepared for a future of work and the rapid change in that.We are optimistic we're confident we're working together—I just wish the National Party could do a few of those things."