Yang Jian: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeYang Jian: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 28 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:4145. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr JIAN YANG (National): This is a great Budget. This is a Budget delivered by a very capable very responsible Government. The National-led Government has a proven record of responsibly managing our finances increasing our productivity providing better public services and rebuilding Christchurch.I have been following the reactions of the Chinese community. I am very pleased to say that the reaction from the Chinese community has been very very positive. There are a number of reasons why the Chinese community has been so supportive of this Budget. Firstly they see this as a very responsible Budget. The National-led Government has over the last 7 years been trying very hard to limit its spending while at the same time trying to take a series of creative initiatives to develop our economy. Our deficit has declined steadily from about $18 billion in 2011 to about $9 billion in 2012 and then to about $4 billion in 2013 and to just under $3 billion in 2014. It is about $684 million this year. While our deficit has declined steadily our economy has kept growing rapidly. We are outperforming most OECD countries.Secondly members of the Chinese community see this Budget as a very sensible Budget. This Government knows what all New Zealanders care about. The Government represents the interests of all New Zealanders. This is highlighted by the $790 million child hardship package. Thirdly members of the Chinese community share the values of the National Government such as an emphasis on personal responsibility and rewarding hard work. Many Chinese immigrants once lived under Marxist socialism when they were in China and they are fully aware of the problems of that system.Finally and perhaps most important the Budget is yet another example of this Government’s superb capability of running this country. In 2008 when National came to office our economy was a mess. It was a nightmare. Today we are the envy of other OECD countries. According to a media release issued by Statistics New Zealand just a couple of days ago 83 percent of New Zealanders surveyed were highly satisfied with their lives. I believe that one particular reason or factor that makes New Zealanders feel satisfied is our world-class education. We all appreciate the importance of education and we see education as a passport to the future. According to Budget 2015 the total spending on early childhood primary and secondary education will reach a record $10.8 billion in 2015-16. Here I must acknowledge the wonderful work done by the Hon Minister Hekia Parata.A few years ago—4 years ago actually—when I was the deputy chair of the Health Committee we went to visit the people at Fisher and Paykel Healthcare and we asked them what challenges they were facing. One challenge they mentioned was the difficulty of finding qualified engineers. So this National Government has steadily increased the funding for engineering degrees over the past few years and this is just one of many examples of our good policies. This indeed is a great Budget. Thank you.