6. Question No. 6—FinanceANDREW BAYLY (National—Port Waikato) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 6—Finance6. ANDREW BAYLY (National—Port Waikato) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of the statements he has made in his past Budget day speeches?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Yes in the context in which they were made which includes the fact that there has been a global pandemic in the middle of them. In particular I stand by my statement in the 2020 Budget speech that Our recovery and rebuild will be based on getting New Zealanders back to work." given the latest unemployment numbers from Statistics New Zealand show that the unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent in the March quarter.Andrew Bayly: Does he stand by his 2017 mini-Budget statement that the first-year tertiary fees-free programme would be "one of the most transformative policies for productivity of the New Zealand economy." given that enrolment numbers have decreased in every year since 2017?SPEAKER: Order! I'm going to give the member another crack at doing it. The primary question is about Budget day statements.Andrew Bayly: These are direct quotes from Budget day speeches.SPEAKER: No the member said it was from a 2017 mini-Budget. The Budget in 2017 was done by Steven Joyce.Andrew Bayly: This is the mini-Budget 2017 that the Minister gave.SPEAKER: Well the member resumes his seat when I stand up. That's one of the basic things. I'm going to let—you know in the interests of being a bit flexible—[Interruption] Who said that? That member will leave.Nicola Willis withdrew from the Chamber.Hon Simon Bridges: Hey that's my job!SPEAKER: And it's not even Thursday Mr Bridges.Hon Simon Bridges: Point of order. I can't do it on Thursday; it's Budget day.SPEAKER: The member knows every day is a day he could be kicked out if he wanted to be. Now I'm just going back to Mr Bayly. He's been quite inexact in his approach to this question. A mini-Budget is not a Budget day. Members know that the Budget process is one which is well set out in Standing Orders and in the traditions of the New Zealand Parliament and it's important to get things right. While I'm on my feet I will indicate to him that last Thursday when he repeatedly told me that the Australian Budget was on Wednesday he was wrong; it was on the Tuesday. I'll just say that I have been listening to the Australian Budget for about 35 years so I do know which day it's on. Now I'm going to let the Minister answer the question.Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: We're very proud of the fact that the fees-free policy has seen many people enter post - secondary school education who wouldn't have before and we are very ambitious for all New Zealanders to get that opportunity.Andrew Bayly: Does he stand by his Budget 2018 statement that his "ambitious Kiwibuild programme" will "deliver 100000 long-overdue affordable houses"?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I stand by this Government's commitment to making sure that we provide affordable housing for all New Zealanders. I stand by the fact that this Government has tried our level best to support the building of affordable houses across New Zealand. The member knows that the KiwiBuild programme has been reorganised since that time.Andrew Bayly: Does he stand by his Budget 2018 statement that the Green Investment Fund will "kickstart investment in [the] assets and technology to reduce carbon emissions" in light of New Zealand currently importing a record amount of coal?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I certainly stand by that statement.Andrew Bayly: Does he stand by his Budget 2020 statement that by "providing $670 million of support and services [for] tenants" he would "improve affordability [and increase] the supply of houses" given rents have risen by $40 per week since he made that statement?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: It was hard to deduce the question among the quotes but I stand by what we're doing to support all New Zealanders to live in warm safe dry and affordable housing."