Leary IngridINGRID LEARY (Labour—Taieri): I received emails and Facebook messages this afternoon from Gina Zaha David and Ahman—I hope I pronounced that correctly—saying thank you to Grant Robertson for the cost of living payments. I said I would pass their thanks on because they are constituents in my Taieri electorate in South Dunedin and South Otago who will benefit from these cost of living payments who have felt pressure from the cost of living because 37 percent of people in my electorate over the age of 15 earn between $10000 and $30000 and only 13 percent earn more than $70000. So this $27 a week will mean much more than the proposed tax cuts by the National Party. My constituents many of them in that bracket will get $350 per adult in three monthly payments from 1 August. They are the people who are earning under $70000 who don't qualify for the winter energy payment. So that is getting money where it is really needed and if we put that together with those who do get the winter energy payment across New Zealand that equals 81 percent of people receiving targeted support. That's 2136000 people. So that is part of a plan that we have to take away the short-term pressure that has been caused by short-term inflation. Let's look at what National's plan is. Well it doesn't actually have a plan apart from tax cuts for the rich. So their plan would give about $2.50 a week in tax cuts for the lowest-paid workers $18000 for leader Chris Luxon if he was to become Prime Minister and a $270000 tax cut for Mr Luxon had he still been the chief executive of Air New Zealand.Hon Member: Per annum.INGRID LEARY: Now that's per annum—that's right. And if they had to go into Government with ACT which is highly likely they would have to freeze the minimum wage because it's what David Seymour has said and reverse climate change initiatives. We know that climate change is the biggest existential threat that we have at the moment. They would reverse that and Mr Luxon has not ruled out actually abolishing several of the ministries that serve our people including the Human Rights Commission Ministry for Women Ministry for Pacific Peoples Ministry for Ethnic Communities and Ministry of Māori Development—all ministries which have received funding in today's Budget to make sure that we leave no New Zealanders behind. I am proud and congratulate Grant Robertson for this balanced Budget because he's done this in an environment where the global economy has been volatile. We've seen inflation in the UK shoot up overnight to 9 percent. That's a 40-year high. But with his prudent fiscal management he has been able to continue to put people first. We can support low and middle income New Zealanders and that is also from the work that all New Zealanders have done to pull together during COVID to make sure that we keep New Zealand going and I really want to thank all New Zealanders for doing that. The fourth Wellbeing Budget talks about a secure future. It's a long-term approach. It takes a long-term approach to health and climate but we have seen these cost of living pressures on people. It is not stagflation and anyone who doesn't believe me just look at the Reserve Bank report and their appearance in front of our Finance and Expenditure Committee meeting last week where stagflation was asked about repeatedly. They said it is on their radar; it is not currently a threat to New Zealand and anybody who tries to say that is talking it up. These are temporary pressures and they need swift and temporary solutions and that's what we're doing by passing this legislation under urgency so that we can get money into the pockets of New Zealanders to make a difference as quickly as possible. That's 1 August and that will be targeted support along with the two-month extension to the fuel tax cuts there is also the extension of half-price public transport and for those people on community service cards—and there are many many in my electorate—they will be able to use their Community Connect which means they will permanently get half-price public transport.That is going to be an absolute game-changer for people in my electorate people have lobbied me for many months saying Please can I have changes to public transport." so they can get out and about. It will help their wellbeing. It will help them studying at the university. So to those people who contacted me this afternoon thank you so much for passing on your good wishes to our Government. I just wanted to share that with the House tonight and to say congratulations to Grant Robertson for an excellent Budget in a very difficult time globally."