1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterHon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. Hon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's policies and statements?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes.Hon Paula Bennett: How many jobs has the Provincial Growth Fund and other Government initiatives created?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The answer to that question is that the Provincial Growth Fund is very new in its implementation and the numbers will be thousands before we are finished. But like all those people who understand business investment you usually have to start the business before you get people coming along to want to work for it.Hon Paula Bennett: Why are there over 22000 more people on the unemployment benefit since she took office and almost 6700 more people in just the last three months?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The answer to that is that the popular description of what their status is is now being applied by this Government but at the same time—and here's the compelling evidence—we have reached the lowest level of unemployment in this country for a long long time and are the envy of nearly every other Western country including our near neighbour Australia.Hon Paula Bennett: If unemployment is as low as he says and there are so many jobs out there why are there more people on welfare instead of actually working?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: If one has any understanding of analytics they will know that that's entirely possible because basically in the community there's greater hope now in terms of social welfare demand of having their concerns addressed. That's what this Government is doing. At the same time of course and in the immediate short and the long term our job is to provide far greater employment opportunity and that we have done. [Interruption] Some people over there can laugh and jeer but our record compared to their one is one of perfect economic and employment and social rectitude.Hon Paula Bennett: Well does she think it's fair that 2.6 million Kiwis work harder and pay more tax under her Government while she removes all expectations of people on benefit to actually find work?SPEAKER: Order! The member will rephrase the question without assertions in it.Hon Paula Bennett: Does she think it's fair that 2.6 million Kiwis work harder and pay more tax under her Government while some of the expectations of those people who are on benefit should be finding work?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: If that allegation by way of imputation in the question was true why are we facing bracket creep and having to address that as a Government? That's number one. The second thing is you've got to have the cheek of Ned Kelly to have decreased taxation for 1 percent of the population like they did then rammed up GST to 15 percent and make the claim that she just made.Hon Paula Bennett: Was Stuart Nash correct on Tuesday when he said and I quote We promised you 1800 new police. Now that's 1800 new police over and above the current rate not 1800 more graduates."?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: To be honest I heard Mr Nash. He didn't say that. What he did say was what was in the coalition agreement which I recall very well and the word "new" police is what we're talking about. But just to give the greatest assurances to all those people for the first time in this Parliament concerned about police numbers when they showed no concern in the nine years when they were there: we're going to make it a net number.Hon Paula Bennett: Why did Stuart Nash then confirm in question time on 12 June 2018 that the Government agreed that they were taking into account attrition when calculating the extra 1800 cops?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Because Minister Nash is a visionary and when he said the Government agreed he said that the Government agreed that that was a problem and that's why we went and set ourselves a higher target of 1800 net. That of course will depend on the wisdom of the people of this country who want real law and order at the next election.Hon Paula Bennett: Did Stuart Nash mislead the Police Association when he spoke to them on Tuesday in light of the Police Association saying yesterday "We were always very clear it had to be on top … this is what police understood."?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: For the third time and I'm certain not for the Police Association's benefit now Mr Nash has made it very clear that any concerns they have that the attrition rate which is very low but not in the Government's control might have an effect—we have said not only are we going to get to the 1800 in half the time the National Party was training that is we will do in two years what they didn't do in four years but we're going to now make sure that it's 1800 net.Hon Stuart Nash: Has the Prime Minister seen a report that the previous Government wanted to deliver 880 police over and above in four years and we've delivered that in under two?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Modesty being our benchmark I hate to say that that is a stunning achievement of that Minister in this Government yes.Hon Paula Bennett: Will the Prime Minister then be correcting her answer from earlier this week when she categorically said that the 1800 new police would be added and also will she correct that answer?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well I don't know quite where that question ended up. It was sort of like the old English saying "I shot an arrow into the air Whither it landed I knew not where." But the fact of the matter is if the Prime Minister has not been clear in imparting the vision she and her Cabinet have I'm certain that she will correct it yes.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Noting the Prime Minister's comments in answers today I would seek leave for the Income Tax (Adjustment of Taxable Income Ranges) Amendment Bill in the name of the Hon Simon Bridges to be brought forward on the Order Paper immediately after the suffrage debate on the next sitting Tuesday.SPEAKER: Sorry your first words were something to do with the Prime Minister's answers. Do the Prime Minister's answers relate to that bill?Hon Members: Yes.SPEAKER: All right OK. Well I missed it.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Sorry. To make it clear the Prime Minister indicated to the House today that the Government was about to move on bracket creep for New Zealanders' incomes. This bill would enable them to do that very quickly.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: You know I don't normally miss two big things like that but—Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: No but what I've said by way of evidence to refute the message in the question was that this Government would not be contemplating issues like the effects of bracket creep if her allegation in the question was remotely true. To now construe that as a promise to do something on it when we're still considering it is—just like Mr Brownlee so often—wrong.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Point of order.SPEAKER: No I think we can solve it. I go to the Governor-General and ask for a liberal interpretation of what's being said here—when I go there after as part of my appointment—and I work on the basis that Mr Brownlee was taking a liberal interpretation of what Mr Peters said. I will put the leave. Is there any objection to that course of action? There is."