Brown SimeonSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. The member who just sat down Eugenie Sage was talking about how this Budget will be investing in people and planet but if I was listening correctly at question time it sounds like they're more likely going to be investing in websites—websites about forestry in Rotorua. That sounds a little bit more like it so I'd better start investing in the tech sector.Well we've certainly had an exciting start to the first half of this year. We've had the ups and downs—well let's be fair mostly downs—for this Government. It's been ambition transparency relentless positivity but now we see business confidence starting to track down a long long way. And we might need to downgrade the outlook for this Government to maintaining the status quo" or maybe "a bit hedgy on the edges" or "buck-passing" at best. As we head into the cooler months of this year this Government will be starting to take off the warm sunny rose-tinted glasses that they've got and the kindness and might need to start looking at how they're going to actually work out the details of some of their policies.As the associate education spokesperson I'd like to spend a little bit of time talking about the Government's policies in education—the unrealistic broken promises that they have been peddling across New Zealand in the campaign around education—and how tomorrow's Budget will be something where raised expectations will not be fulfilled. So let's go through a few of these promises. The Government has promised to ensure that every New Zealand school will have modern learning environments by 2030 at a cost of—how much do you think?—$10 billion to $15 billion. They've promised a big injection to school infrastructure in the Canterbury schools build money which they failed—failed—to put in their own costings as a line item. They promised to provide $150 per school student to try and end school donations. They've promised free iPads and devices to every child in schools. They've promised to boost early childhood education (ECE) by $193 million. They've promised Te Reo lessons for every ECE and primary school teacher and they've promised school-leavers kits for every school leaver. The list could go on—the wish list could go on—and the reality is that they will not be able to fulfil their unrealistic list of promises which they have peddled up and down the country.On this side of the House we have a strong and proud record in education. We increased education spending every single year while we were in Government from $8 billion to $11 billion per year in the compulsory sector alone and we did this while dealing with the global financial crisis (GFC) and the Christchurch earthquakes.Kieran McAnulty: Were you even alive then? Were you even born in the GFC?SIMEON BROWN: Over nine years from 2008 to 2017 we invested $5 billion in school infrastructure—SPEAKER: Order! I'm going to remind Mr McAnulty that I certainly was and he shouldn't be interjecting in the second person.SIMEON BROWN: We invested $5 billion in school property—in school infrastructure—over our nine years which compared to only $3 billion in years prior under the former Labour Government. When we came into Government we inherited a neglected portfolio of property with an average age of 40 years. In Budget 2017 alone we invested $456 million into school property to increase capacity. We planned for growth in Auckland with the Auckland education growth strategy which the Minister of Education has refused to release and refused to work on and we increased ECE spending from $0.9 billion in 2008 to $1.7 billion in 2017. From $0.9 billion in 2008 to $1.7 billion in 2017—that's an investment worth making in our kids to ensure they get the best start in life. We invested where it really made a difference.But the ultimate arrogance of this Government is that they think they know best. They're ideologically driven and just today in the Education and Workforce Committee they voted against the select committee going to South Auckland Middle School to hear submissions on their legislation to ban and shut down—SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. I'm going to seek an assurance from the member that that decision was one that was taken in a public part of the committee. If not—SIMEON BROWN: It was taken and we decided to release it immediately to South Auckland Middle School.Kieran McAnulty: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: Well can I rule on this? The member's assured the House that in fact that decision is a decision which has been made public and if that is the case he may continue. Does the member have a further point of order?Kieran McAnulty: May I seek some guidance Mr Speaker—SPEAKER: No.SIMEON BROWN: This is a Government which says it knows best. They're ideologically driven. They think they know what—[Interruption] By some fluke they've ended up in Government. Their saving grace at this stage is that they have a strong foundation delivered by a National Government which has grown our economy with strong Budget surpluses which have been put in place by strong economic management and economic policies. Thank you Mr Speaker."