Little Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 06 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3219. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition)to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements in relation to the Budget?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):Yes in the context they were given. I particularly stand by my statement that Budget 2015 will be delivered in the context of a strong and growing economy and improving Government finances.Andrew Little: Having failed to keep his promise to get the books into surplus this year will he guarantee New Zealanders that he will not be breaking any other promises?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think New Zealanders are smart enough to work out that this is a Government that has picked up a hell of a mess from the previous Labour Government. It was a disaster that it inherited—a pile of unfunded programmes and frankly economic leadership that would be welcomed in Greece but actually is not welcomed in New Zealand—and it has tidied the shop up.Andrew Little: In light of his backdown on getting to surplus this year when will he be honest with New Zealanders and give a real date on when he will finally post a surplus?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: It is important to understand that the data that will be in the Budget like the data that is in the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update and all the others is put together by Treasury based on the best estimates it has. As I said to the House yesterday interestingly enough the revenue number for the Crown over the next 4 years is $15 billion lower than it would have been because of low inflation. It happens to be great for businesses and for consumers—Hon Member: Take some responsibility.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well actually I will take responsibility for the fact that the economy is growing we have got the fifth-highest employment rate in the OECD and New Zealanders are flocking back to New Zealand having left in droves under the previous Labour Government.Andrew Little: Can he confirm that he also has not kept his promise to lift exports from 30 percent of GDP to 40 percent—in fact exports have fallen back to just 29 percent of GDP?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I am truly ambitious for New Zealand and for myself but I never realised that Andrew Little was so ambitious for me because that is our 2025 target. He is clearly expecting me to win quite a few elections between now and then.Andrew Little: In light of the consistent slide in prices in recent global dairy auctions when can New Zealanders expect him to finally keep his export promise?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I thought we traversed this in the House yesterday but the Government is not responsible for dairy prices. I know that the Opposition might want to blame us for them; it certainly did not want to give us any credit for them when they were going up but it does seem to want to criticise us when they are going down. But actually here is a pretty simple test. We want to grow our exports. Let us sign up to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We are in. Are you in?Andrew Little: Having failed to keep his promises when will he stop making excuses front up and admit he has let New Zealanders down yet again?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: We are not making excuses; we are actually presenting the Government’s books. Actually if the member wants to look at any indicators from consumer confidence business confidence right indicators wrong indicators the election result the exchange rate movements—all of those things are indicators that it is not me who is telling New Zealanders that the country is going well; it is actually New Zealanders who are indicating to pollsters and others that the country is going well.Hon Member: Give them some credit.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes so give those New Zealanders credit; they know what they are talking about.