Bennett David: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:12055. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East):The Labour Party members over there realise that they are going to be in trouble now because the Labour Party has been spreading malicious rumours about this economy for far too long in this country and in this Chamber. The National Government has delivered a strong economy that has delivered the right prospects for New Zealand going forward. We have not come up with silly ideas like a capital gains tax which will hurt the economy and which will not deliver the initiatives that have been proposed by the Labour Party and we do not follow the silly policies of one Russel Norman who thinks he is the economic guru but is not actually here to deliver the Greens’ speech today. Julie Anne Genter is doing it instead. I have got a lot of time for Julie Anne Genter. I think that Julie Anne Genter was the star performer in the parliamentary soccer team. Well done Julie Anne. It is good to see that you are now the star performer in the Greens’ economic policy. Just change the record read a different book from Russel and you will find that there is an economic reality out there that is different from what the Green Party and the Labour Party put forward.Let us look at some of the facts. We have a growing economy. We have reducing unemployment. We have a country going into Budget surplus. We have some of the lowest interest rates on record for this country. What is the matter with that? Nothing. That is the perfect combination for growth and you add to that the country’s investment in infrastructure and the New Zealand economy’s position in the Asian dynamic of theworld and this country is set up for growth and a strong and prosperous future ahead. The public out there understand and acknowledge that and they will not put that at risk. They will not support the Opposition which will put the New Zealand economy at risk.That is the key fundamental that is happening out there. The reason is that New Zealanders know what it is like. New Zealanders got the wake-up call in the world recession. They understood what it was like when you could lose your job and where your house was going down in value. They understand how the modern economy of the world has changed. The Labour Party and Green Party do not understand that. The Labour Party put New Zealand into recession before the rest of the world went into recession. That is what bad economic managers those members were. In the best of times they still managed to stuff up the New Zealand economy. They left us with years and years of big expenses going forward so that you would never get a Budget surplus. David Parker has the cheek the absolute cheek to come into this Chamber and say that Labour would have looked at having a Budget surplus as well. Tell me how that would have happened. Tell me how Labour would have had a Budget surplus as well. David Parker could not even say that with a straight face. He was standing there and he knew he was saying something that was not true. He was saying something that he should not say in this place but he still said it anyway because what does it matter? When you are at 29 percent in the polls does it really matter what you say? Anything to get you above 30 percent is good value.But the Labour Party knows that it would not have got New Zealand into surplus. It knows in its heart of hearts. Even Mr Robertson there—the man who is feeding Mr Shearer such great advice at the moment—is smiling knowing that Mr Parker was not true in what he said.Grant Robertson: Does John Key listen to this member?DAVID BENNETT: What was this member saying?Grant Robertson: Does John Key listen to this member?DAVID BENNETT: This member here he is getting very smart is he not?Grant Robertson: His closest adviser David Bennett.DAVID BENNETT: Well you know nobody listens to you Mr Robertson if they want to get anywhere do they?Grant Robertson: So nasty.DAVID BENNETT: Yes I am sure it is very nasty. The Labour Party will put New Zealand into the economic mire as it did last time. It will take Labour 3 or 4 years to unwind the good work we have done but Labour will put New Zealand back into the mire and the public understand that. The public will not risk a Green-Labour Government that is fiscally irresponsible that will put interest rates up and that will bring in silly ideas like a capital gains tax which will not achieve the purpose it was designed for and which Labour said it was going to bring in.New Zealand’s National Party has delivered strong good economic management. It has been balanced. It has delivered infrastructure for the growth of this country going forward. It has delivered interest rates that are some of the lowest—Vote agreed to.