Macindoe Tim: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMacindoe Tim: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 02 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11643. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Back home in the tropical paradise of Hamilton my constituents are full of praise for the outstanding stewardship of our economy over the last 8 years by the Hon Bill English and for his excellent eighth Budget. I have had the privilege of being a member of this House for every one of those eight Budgets—in fact I have sat behind him as he has delivered four of them. I have to say that each time he has hit the spot superbly.Back in late 2008 National came into office after this country had already plunged into recession. That was in no small part because of the reckless explosion in public spending that we inherited from the previous Labour Government. There is no question about that. Labour members boasted that they had spent the lot they had squandered the good times and had left an incoming National Government facing Treasury predictions of at least a decade of deficits and Crown debt of eye-watering proportions. That was a horrendous record. The wonderful thing if you are in the National Party is to note that they have learnt nothing in the 8 years since.Through it all this National-led Government has made the tough calls. We have turned things round dramatically. We have stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of New Zealand and in particular with the people of Canterbury as they have gone through the dreadful ordeals that they have suffered in that region. So all of those things have had a devastating impact on Crown accounts and in every respect Bill English and this Government have stood up to the plate and delivered what is expected by New Zealanders.That is why this Government has achieved this staggering feat of retaining the same support in the polls that it had on the day it came into office 8 years ago. I will go further and say that I will go to my grave proud of the record of this Government proud of the actions that this Government has taken to get us through those tough times and proud to defend that record in any public forum across the country. Our lacklustre opponents opposite continue to demonstrate how totally out of touch they are with public sentiment on the reality of the position. After nearly 8 years in Opposition they still have not grasped the fact that irresponsible spending sprees are not what the public are asking for. Hard-working New Zealanders have to pay for them—not Governments. Governments simply take the money from the pockets of those hard-working New Zealanders. Until the Opposition learns that simple fact of life its members are destined to stay there in ever-diminishing numbers.Over the last week we watched the wonderful civil union emerge between the Green Party and the Labour Party—well that was on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday we watched civil warfare break out led by the Cosgrove-Nash-O’Connor faction as they took aim at the rest of the Labour Party and said: “We don’t want to go there and we know damn well the public of New Zealand don’t want to go there either.” It has been a sorry spectacle and it shows just how desperate the second-largest party of this Parliament is—that its members find themselves in the position where they know they have not got any credible options for forming a Government and so they are scrambling around desperately even to the point where they are having to say: “Well you decide what you’ll do on this one we’ll decide on this one and let’s go to the public and see whether they think that’s a credible option.” I can tell them right now that the public do not like it and they will not like it any more when we go to the polls next year.The Minister has made it very clear that this is a Government focused on social investment. Theirs is the side of the House that says: “Just throw more money; all that you need to do to be a successful Government is to throw more and more money at things.” On this side of the House we believe in the social investment strategy. That is why we are seeing more people in jobs. That is why we are seeing more elective surgeries. That is why we are seeing higher rates of achievement in National Certificate of Educational Achievement than ever before. That is why we are seeing crime rates down to record levels—by over 40 percent for youth crime. These are the best results in more than a generation.That is why this Government continues to be in touch with the public of New Zealand to understand what they are requiring and that is why when we go to the polls next year we will continue to campaign proudly on our record. I look forward to hearing whatever Opposition members think they are going to come up with because after 8 years they have learnt nothing more than they knew on the day they left office.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the next member there is the habit developing particularly on the right-hand side of the Chamber of people thumping the desks. It is a very annoying noise. I am also the landlord and am concerned at the damage that is being done to the desks. I have got to then make a Budget bid to a mean Minister of Finance to get the repairs undertaken. Applaud enthusiastically by all means but we are not going to have the thumping of the furniture.