Ross Jami-Lee: Appropriation (2015/16 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoss Jami-Lee: Appropriation (2015/16 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate[Sitting date: 18 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5868. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany): I was waiting for someone from the Labour Party to stand up but they appear to be asleep today.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): The member will resume his seat. The member knows that there was confusion earlier when other members did not take their call. If the member wants to go right through that in the House we will but I think he is aware that it is his call. He was relatively slow to get up and call but I gave it to him notwithstanding a call from my left. He will now leave it.JAMI-LEE ROSS: I am looking forward to speaking on this Budget because this is another Budget that has been led and delivered by Bill English the Minister of Finance in this country who is highlighted around the world as the Minister of Finance who is leading this nation through some difficult times but is leading it exceptionally well.We have a Budget that again delivers greater growth for New Zealanders. We have a Budget that again delivers more jobs for New Zealanders. We have a Budget that again delivers relatively low interest rates for New Zealanders compared with where they have been in previous years. And we have a Budget that again delivers greater prosperity for New Zealanders. This side of the House is incredibly proud to be supporting this Budget; we just wish that the Opposition would see the good news and come across and support it as well.The Minister of Finance highlighted during his speech in this debate the incredibly important Budget package that has been put together for families. At the end of the day everything that we do in this House—everything that Governments do—is about supporting New Zealanders. The thing that New Zealanders expect most from Governments is support for those who are in need and support for those who are experiencing hardship. For the first time in decades a Government is putting more money into and extending benefits for New Zealanders and it is a shame that other members on the other side of the House are not willing to support more money in the pockets of hard-working New Zealanders who need the assistance most.Those families—the 160000 families—will now have $25 a week more in their pockets. I say to them that they should be thankful that there is support out there and they should ask themselves as well why the Labour Party is not prepared to support a Budget that does that. To all of the children and their parents out there who are seeing more access to early childhood education because of the hundreds of millions of dollars more that this Government is putting into early childhood education I say ask why the Labour Party is not prepared to support more money in the Budget in that area either.I say to the New Zealanders who are getting access to more elective surgeries under a health budget that that is now at $15.9 billion where we are seeing 50000 more New Zealanders getting access to elective surgeries—ask yourselves why the Labour Party is not prepared to support a Budget that delivers this for them. That is a 42 percent increase on elective surgeries something that New Zealanders are demanding and are proud of.In the education sector I say to those parents out there who are seeing their children getting better-quality education through the lifting of standards in the education system; ask also why the Labour Party and the Opposition are not prepared to support this Budget which delivers more money for education and is seeing education standards lifting around the country. This is a Budget with positive economic news. It is a Budget that leads to more jobs and greater growth and overall New Zealanders have been better off in the 7 years that this Government has been in office.When we listen to the speeches from the other side you could be led to believe that the economy is going down that the economy is in trouble and that New Zealand is one of the countries around the world that is struggling. That is absolutely false. I think we should remind ourselves of all of the good economic news that has come out in recent times. We have seen 11 straight quarters of job growth. We have seen 69000 more people with jobs compared with last year. We have got a stable economic outlook with growth expected to be between 2 percent and 2.5 percent. This is still one of the fastest-growing economies in the OECD. There are low increases in the cost of living. Wages are rising faster than inflation. We have high labour market participation. These are all good things that New Zealanders are seeing these are all good things that New Zealanders are experiencing and although there is difficulty for some sectors in the economy New Zealanders overall are far better off than they were 7 years ago.We know that the dairy industry which is a cyclical sector that goes through ups and downs and peaks and troughs is experiencing some difficult timesat the moment but there is still good news on the horizon. Having said that we should not just believe as the Opposition likes to portray that the whole New Zealand economy is based around dairying because it is not. It is not and there are sectors in this economy that are doing exceptionally well. Let us take for example the information and communications technology sector which has been growing at the rate of 9 percent a year since 2008. It now contributes 1.7 percent of GDP.Let us hear stories from that sector. Our international education is now worth $2.85 billion or around 1.3 percent of GDP. That sector supports 30000 Kiwi jobs. That is a good thing for New Zealanders. Wine industry exports were around $1.4 billion in 2014 up 8.2 percent on 2013. I could go through more on this list such as high-tech manufacturing which has grown from being a $139 million industry in 1991 to a $1.4 billion industry in 2012. Tourism is again another good story for this country. Overall tourism is now worth 7 percent of GDP and is growing strongly up 7 percent on last year. These are good-news stories about New Zealanders who are achieving; about New Zealanders who are seeing the rewards of a fast-growing economy—one of the fastest-growing economies in the OECD. These are stories of industries that are employing New Zealanders. More New Zealanders are getting jobs through these industries and through these sectors and New Zealanders are proud of that.This Government is here because we believe in New Zealanders. We believe in supporting New Zealanders we believe in the economic prosperity of New Zealanders and we are seeing the rewards of that growth. Let us not listen to the doomsayers over on the other side. Let us not listen to the people who now no longer support free trade who now no longer support taking a bipartisan approach to the Reserve Bank and who now no longer support good fiscal discipline because they are opposed to all of those things that we support and are implementing through this Budget.I have to say that when one looks at the track record of the 2000s and compares it with the track record of this Government over the past 7 years the contrasts are staggering. For example when we talk about housing affordability let us remind ourselves and always remember that interest rates were 11 percent in 2008. If we want to talk about an export sector going into recession or having difficulties let us remember that under Labour the export sector went into recession in 2005 during a global boom. Let us remember that before the rest of the world suffered the global financial crisis this country went into recession—in 2007 a year before the global financial crisis. So when we have Andrew Little and Grant Robertson on their hind legs saying that they would do so much better than Bill English and that they would do so much better than John Key the track record of Labour is not successful. The track record of Labour pales in comparison with that of this Government.Scott Simpson: An appalling record.JAMI-LEE ROSS: As my colleague Scott Simpson says it is appalling compared with the great results that we are seeing delivered under this Government.Finally I just want to touch on trade a bit further because it is something that was considered during the estimates process. It is something that has been considered by this House during this Budget debate. I have to say that it saddens me to see that there are parties on the other side that have been marching on the weekend that have been opposed to trade and that are no longer prepared to support free trade. There are thousands of New Zealanders who in the future will gain jobs under greater free-trade opportunities just as in the past thousands—tens of thousands or probably hundreds of thousands—have gained greater jobs through greater free-trade opportunities. They were greater free-trade opportunities that the Labour Party supported and implemented in the past.Hon Annette King: Tell us what’s in the deal—tell us.JAMI-LEE ROSS: So I say to people like Annette King and I say to people like Fletcher Tabuteau do not do the wrong thing. Do not start to become opposed to free trade. With greater access to markets abroad economic opportunities for New Zealanders await. That is a good thing for New Zealand. This Budget is a good thing for New Zealand and that is why this side of the House supports it.