Curran ClareBUDGET DEBATEDebate resumed from 24 May on the Appropriation (2018/19 Estimates) Bill.Hon CLARE CURRAN (Minister of Broadcasting Communications and Digital Media): Between 26 February and 4 March this year 1000 New Zealanders were asked in a Victoria University public trust survey if they trusted the Government—this Government—to do what is right for New Zealand and 65 percent said yes which compares with 48 percent in 2016. That is a huge increase.It's a huge increase and it shows that the hallmark of an authentic purposeful and forward-thinking Government is its willingness to confront the hard issues—to front them to establish the facts to make decisions to deal with the issues and to build public confidence and trust. The most recent example of that was this Government's willingness to confront the issue of methamphetamine residue in State housing from smoking it and whether there was evidence of health effects of that. Commissioned by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phil Twyford and delivered by the Chief Science Advisor it found no evidence of health effects at all—which was confronting the demonisation of people who live in social housing.What does this Budget do in 2018? It stops the sell-off of State housing. It will commission the build of 6400 more State homes with 1400 more emergency housing places. There is $143 million for insulation and heating for low-income home owners which complements the healthy homes guarantee and it requires rentals to be warm and healthy to live in—also complementing the winter energy payment scheme for more than 1 million Kiwis and their children.Another example of a Government willing to confront the hard issues is the Government inquiry into mental health and addiction confronting the tsunami of mental health issues that has beset our country in recent years. That is not in the Budget but what is in the Budget—and while we're waiting to have that inquiry reported to us in October—is $10.5 million over the next three years to pilot an integrated therapies programme for 18- to 25-year-olds $28 million to better support Canterbury children and $17 million to expand school-based health services. That is the hallmark of a responsible Government prepared to tackle the hard issues.Another example is the just transition to a carbon-free economy by 2050. All of this goes to a plan for the transformation of our economy and public services and how we work together to improve the lives of all New Zealanders. This requires fiscal social and environmental responsibility.Budget 2018 is a foundation Budget which tackles the big issues in housing in health and in education to set the foundations for the transformations that are needed going forward. This requires joined-up Government. It requires a modern agile and nimble Government that sees digital government as being the key to increasing productivity higher skills export growth and social inclusion. It is a Government that knows that digital transformation will spur innovation and productivity growth; it will transform public services and improve well-being. These things go hand in hand. They go hand in hand with the challenges to jobs and skills and these are critical challenges that face our country. The challenges to privacy and security to markets and taxation to social security systems and public financing—this Government will tackle all of those challenges which is why we are putting in place a foundation Budget to set the scene to be able to do that.We recognise that we can't fix with just one Budget all of the problems that we face. We have said that over and over again. We have been honest with the people of New Zealand about this and they have listened. It's why it's called a foundation Budget. It's why we are appointing a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). It's why I have appointed a digital economy and digital inclusion advisory group to bring the good ideas and expertise outside of Government—Chris Bishop: How's the CTO going?Hon CLARE CURRAN: It's going well. The CTO appointment process is going well thank you. It's why I've appointed a digital economy and digital inclusion advisory group to bring those good ideas outside of Government closer to Government. We are deadly serious about the transformation of our economy and our public services. It's why we are appointing advisory groups to bring the good ideas from outside Government closer to Government. This Government is deadly serious about its agenda and it knows that there are good ideas outside Government that we need to bring closer to Government. We've acknowledged we can't do it all at once.We're being up front and honest with the public and they are responding. A good example of this—it's a small example but it's quite a stark example—is within the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in the communications policy advice area. Under the previous Government that part of MBIE was facing cuts. It was facing cuts of 16 full-time equivalents. That advice that would've been cut was needed for work on the digital economy improving digital inclusion and ensuring resilient communications infrastructure. Instead what this Government has done under Budget 2018 is provide $6.2 million of new operating funding for policy advice on digital economy digital inclusion and improving communications infrastructure issues such as 5G mobile networks and ultra-fast broadband.What this Government is doing is being honest with the public showing that we are deadly serious about the transformations required. We're deadly serious about investing in the ideas that are required to do it. What the former Government was doing was a mirage. It was saying it was doing things and it was cutting them. So therefore if it was committed to the digital economy why was it cutting the key advice that was required to build up that area of the economy—the engine room of our economy? So I'd be keen for them to answer that.I'd just like to touch on another issue around how this Government is deadly serious about transformation. It's an issue that's been heavily neglected by the previous Government and that is funding for public media. That side of the House does not believe in the value of telling our stories which is why they froze the funding—Chris Bishop: Oh rubbish.Hon CLARE CURRAN: —for nearly a decade of public media. Rubbish Mr Bishop? Rubbish that the funding was frozen for nearly a decade? The previous Government's approach is embarrassing. Internationally we are ranked as one of the lowest in terms of funding for public media. Thankfully this Government has the vision to start investing properly in public media. It's going to take time to repair a decade of neglect; we don't shy away from that challenge. The $15 million allocated in this Budget has been described by the Minister of Finance as a down payment and I'm excited about what we can do with this funding. The details are being worked through. It won't be long before you find out how that money will be distributed and New Zealanders can see some real demonstration of the changes ahead.This is about ensuring that our stories get told. It means focusing on what's important to us as New Zealanders around the country rather than what will bring in the most advertising revenue or what has the best clickbait title. This is about who we are as a nation. It's about investing in telling our stories something that the former Government froze and took no account of put no value on for a decade. That's the whole point of having a strong public media ecosystem producing content that is relevant to our national identity investing in quality investigative journalism and telling stories that would otherwise not be told. That is the hallmark of this Government. That's something that we can be proud of and we won't shy away from dealing with the tough issues.