Foster-Bell Paul: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFoster-Bell Paul: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 28 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:4149. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PAUL FOSTER-BELL (National): It is actually a pleasure to follow on from the member who has just resumed her seat Louisa Wall. I have a lot of respect for her. She is a very gracious member of this House but she is utterly wrong in almost everything she has said this afternoon.It is a great time to be a New Zealander. This is a hard-working Government and we have delivered an excellent Budget that will make a real difference for young New Zealanders vulnerable New Zealanders and children who are in poverty. I want to put this in some context. We have just come through the greatest financial crisis in recent living memory and I appreciate there are some memberson the other side who should be superannuated—who can remember back probably to the Great Depression—but on this side of the House we do take fiscal responsibility along with our social responsibilities very very seriously.Last night in the United Kingdom we had the Queen’s speech delivered giving an outline of what the Britannic Majesty’s Government intends to do including capping off benefit payments reducing by £3000 the entitlement of maximum support whereas this is the first Government in 43 years in New Zealand that has actually increased support to those families who are the most vulnerable. I am very proud to be a member of the party on this side of the House. In this vein New Zealand too has maintained a sensible fiscal situation. The Tory party in the UK has said there will be no more increases to income tax or VAT. I point out that they have a higher VAT rate of 20 percent than we do.On this side of the world we too are maintaining an approach that will help build growth whilst protecting those who are most vulnerable. We are putting investment into health—I am actually very impressed with what Dr Coleman has managed to deliver in the health budget—but also education which provides for the future of our young people. That has been driven in large part by Minister Parata and I would like to congratulate her on that.I want to talk about some specific initiatives that will be of benefit to Wellington and Wellingtonians. We have seen an extra $2 million to complete the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park—the National War Memorial—and get the further memorials to other allied partners in there. There is excellent investment too in the $4.6 million for extra hospice services particularly Mary Potter Hospice and Te Omanga Hospice two of our local hospices that do such great work in palliative care—Chris Bishop: And the Hutt.PAUL FOSTER-BELL: —and as my colleague Chris Bishop points out in the Hutt as well as Wellington. There has been $40 million of capital works for Te Papa our national museum and that will be a boon to our local economy as we see the woeful neglect of the previous Labour Government reversed with that investment. There is $41 million worth of screen production grants for Avatar and Thunderbirds season two which is being filmed right now out at the wonderful Miramar studios of Sir Richard Taylor. There is $64 million for Callaghan Innovation’s strategic growth infrastructure which my colleague Chris Bishop is going to refer to. There is massive ongoing investment for Transmission Gully in this Budget and we have not heard the Green members talk about that since the flooding knocked out transport links in our region proving how necessary that emergency route is as well as the extra time savings and efficiency it will bring to our local economy.I am particularly proud—I am particularly proud—of the $113 million worth of new money for tertiary education a goodly share of which will go into our local institutions: Victoria University of Wellington Massey University the Whitireia Community Polytechnic and WelTec which do such a good job and I am looking forward to seeing the ICT Graduate School announced here soon. In education there has been more funding for special education. Over the course of this Government under the leadership that includes Minister Parata we have seen special needs investment increase by a quarter. That is a large extra amount of funding going into autism dyslexia dyspraxia and learning difficulties; support for the kids who did not traditionally qualify for that extra support; more hours for teacher-aides; and also unlike the members opposite who could be characterised as a bunch of supine protoplasmic invertebrate jellies we actually have a—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): At least one member understands that and the member will withdraw. The member will withdraw the comment.PAUL FOSTER-BELL: Oh sorry Mr Assistant Speaker. You do understand that?The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): I do and therefore I require the member to withdraw.PAUL FOSTER-BELL: I withdraw—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Thank you.PAUL FOSTER-BELL: —and apologise to you Mr Assistant Speaker. On this side of the House we have a backbone so we are proud to be able to deliver a non-ideological policy that benefits children and does not take into account sectional interests. For that reason I proudly back the fact that we are funding parent-led early childhood education including Playcentre including kōhanga reo and other forms of early childhood education because these are so important for the future of our country. This is a great Budget and I am proud to support it.