Seymour DavidHon DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. You know I gotta tell you every time I hear Marama Davidson I appreciate and miss James Shaw just a little bit more. Someone should call the physics department because she actually managed to slow down time—the last five minutes of her speech felt like about 15. We're here for the serious business of bringing down a Budget and I'd like to acknowledge my fellow coalition leaders Winston Peters and Christopher Luxon; my fellow Budget Ministers and associate finance Ministers Chris Bishop and Shane Jones and of course Nicola Willis who I've watched work very hard to bring down her first Budget; and most of all my colleagues Hon Brooke van Velden fellow ACT Party Ministers and parliamentarians.This is a very important day. It's an important day for New Zealand because finally—finally—there are some adults back in the Budget room. I lead a party that campaigned on doing three things: number one to cut the waste; number two to use the cuts in waste to cut the taxes levied on hard-working New Zealanders; and number three to put more money into effective services and justice and defence and health and education and infrastructure. Today we stand here bringing down a Budget that cuts the waste that cuts the taxes and puts more money into justice and defence and health and education and infrastructure and builds foundations for growth for this country. That's what I would call a result. I know you're not supposed to speak this way—it sounds a bit Venezuelan—but I think that people who voted for ACT got fantastic value for money. It's actually free to vote for us and we've already saved you hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars. Is that a good deal or what?This Budget is going to mean that people who have been watching the previous Government do less and less with more and more just as they had to tighten their belts can finally see a Government that is in tune with them. This Budget is not flashy. It happens against a backdrop where things are grim. I was talking to a principal of a medium-sized accounting firm the other day and he told me many stories about what it's like for businesses because accountants usually see what's happening in the economy first—them and real estate agents. He told me about a man who had run a successful business: he'd had 40 people working for him and in the downturn of the last two years he'd got to three people. He had sold his bed to pay the outstanding wages of those last three people before he moved to Australia. People know how grim it is out there but they can also have some hope from the fact that we now have a Government that is not going to borrow and spend and drive more and more inflation that only makes it harder for people to meet their bills and get by. That's the difference that we're making here and this allows people in positions like that to pay less tax.You know I'm always astonished when I hear people in the Opposition in the media—sometimes I wonder if I repeated myself—who say we're spending money on tax cuts". Well let's just take this opportunity to explain very briefly how it works and doesn't work. The Government can't spend money it doesn't have. Now I know the Labour Party would see that as a new concept but the Government can't spend money on tax cuts because tax by definition is how it gets money in the first place. So when we say that we're cutting taxes that is not spending—we are taking less of people's money in the first place. I'm particularly proud of ACT on behalf of renters and landlords alike that we are providing relief by returning mortgage interest deductibility. I want to talk to the people who present this as some sort of radical concept as if it is not going back to the way things were in—you know ages ago—like 2021. Income tax is levied on income and income is a business or an activity's revenue minus its expenses and interest is a legitimate expense. So when you're in business you can deduct your interest costs from your tax bill. The radical crazy thing was when Jacinda Ardern came out and said "I'm going to tilt the market towards first-home buyers." What happened when she put more tax on landlords is that rents went up $200 in three years and the thing about rents is they are usually paid by people who don't own their own house which means that they are by definition a first-home buyer. We are taking that tax off landlords so renters will pay less rent so they have more chance of getting by without $200 increases in rent so they can save a deposit and build their first home.Then we're gonna take less money out of people's PAYE. You know the number one leaflet that recruits people to the ACT Party is not anything that we've ever produced. I know the IRD is not supposed to be political but they've got us a lot of supporters over the years because the number one recruitment brochure for the ACT Party is a young person's first PAYE slip. And they send them to me on social media—they say "Far out! I always thought you guys were a bit crazy but now I see what you're saying. Can I sign up?" I've signed up hundreds of them. Well maybe we are going to harm ourselves slightly because people will be paying just a little bit less tax—that average income household is going to pay up to $103 less tax a fortnight. I know there's people like Barbara Edmonds I know there's people like Chris Hipkins—people that earn $163000 a year—they say "Oh that's not much." In fact you know I almost fell out of my seat. I need to talk to Brooke van Velden—I've got a health and safety at work issue! I nearly injured myself because Chris Hipkins appeared to be saying that the Government's not cutting tax enough and I wasn't sure what to make of the situation. But what I can say is that we are cutting taxes in a responsible way by less than we are cutting spending so we also get back to balance; so we also take inflation out of the economy; so we also allow the Reserve Bank to take pressure off mortgage rates take pressure off interest rates and allow Kiwis to have a bit more money left at the end of the fortnight. That's what our tax policy is about. I've got to say I'm proud of what ACT's Ministers have been doing right across the board. Workplace relations and safety: Brooke van Velden has absolutely taken a scythe to her own department's waste and you'll hear from her in days to come just how much she's managed to save in the Department of Internal Affairs. Yeah it's a bit of a confusing thing for some people because most Ministers are out there competing to see how much more taxpayer money they can spend compared with the people next door to them. But ACT Ministers for the most part are competing to see how much taxpayer money they can save in their own departments. And what Brooke van Velden has done by cancelling the fair pay agreements—well actually that has multiple multiple benefits because we don't have to waste our time making national awards like it's the 1970s or actually the 1890s again. But it also saved I think something like $65 million. She's also saved money in the Department of Internal Affairs. Karen Chhour will be telling you in time to come how much she's managed to save in Kāinga Ora and it was really interesting to hear Marama Davidson be so disingenuous saying that she feels aroha for Karen Chhour. Well I can tell you on this side of the House—I can say in full sincerity—we feel aroha for Karen Chhour. I'm not so sure people over there have lately.But the other revealing thing about what Marama Davidson said is she felt sorry for Karen Chhour because she didn't have any extra money. That is an insight—an insight into the mind of Marama Davidson and the Green Party. They think the only way to get more results is to spend more money. This Government is all about proving that actually throwing money at every problem doesn't solve them. Actually that's not true. The previous Government was a giant expensive $100 billion experiment proving once and for all that throwing money at every problem does not solve them. That's right.So what Karen Chhour has done is some amazing things. In Oranga Tamariki facilities she is introducing uniforms for the staff. Now people think "Hang on—hang on surely not". This is the state under Labour—Oranga Tamariki was run by people who didn't even have the pride the respect and the order and discipline to wear a uniform. You know McDonald's can do it; Warehouse Stationery can do it. But Oranga Tamariki the department responsible for looking after the most vulnerable children in New Zealand didn't even have uniforms—it doesn't cost much. But actually by introducing some basic rules and discipline she's introduced locks on a few doors which turns out to be cheaper than buying KFC to get the kids down when they escape on to the roof. Right across the board Karen Chhour is doing more with less and doing it smarter. It's just such a shame that Marama Davidson didn't have the same ideas when she had a chance when she was in Government.In fact I've got to say I look at these opposition MPs and I thought—I see Chlöe Swarbrick. She says "I have great hope. I have dreams. We've got to change the world and make it better.". She was in Government six months ago. They had six years to do it and they made everything worse. It's like a kind of amnesia. I'm looking up through the beautiful glass ceiling of this Chamber trying to find those flying saucers that dropped them off on this planet because I don't think they've been here with us on Earth in recent times.I look at Andrew Hoggard and the savings that he is making in the Ministry of Primary Industries while keeping us prepared for biosecurity threats. I look at Nicole McKee and what she is doing to get faster justice with smarter processes and investments in vital infrastructure like courthouses because even the ACT Party thinks that having some decent courthouses and getting people fast justice is something that the Government should absolutely do and do well. That is our Minister for Courts and she's also getting rid of the Byzantine regulation that holds back people who just want to safely use firearms.We also have a Minister for Regulation because fundamentally this Government needs to create some foundations for growth. If I was to ask how we are going to ensure the foundations for growth what it's going to depend upon is getting the four things that make a country really fly right. We need to spend less time tied up in rules and regulations and more time being productive. I heard just last week that someone at an early childhood centre was actually told by the Ministry of Education that they had to wash nappies at 60 degrees centigrade—not 59 not 61—60 degrees centigrade. The fact that that is even possible tells you of the problems that we have across our economy and that is why very soon the Ministry for Regulation funded in this Budget will commence the first sector review into early childhood education. Then we're going to get into animal and veterinary products and medicines being imported nine years behind the rest of the world. Then we're going to do finance. Then we're going to do medical licensing. We're going to deal with the red tape and the regulation that our Prime Minister calls the "foundations of obstruction economy". We're sweeping them away and replacing them with foundations for growth.The other thing that you need besides actually having some time to do some work as an economy that wants to grow—and by the way where are Te Pāti Māori? We talk about work. They actually forgot to vote against the "White people's Budget" the "White people's Budget" that is brought about by a Cabinet of 20 that has eight Māori members. Kia ora Nicole McKee. Kia ora Winston Peters. Kia ora Shane. Kia ora Casey Costello. Kia ora Shane Reti. Kia ora Tama Potaka. Our Cabinet our Government—ko David Seymour ahau. Our Government—our Government is 40 percent Māori twice as much as the rest. But actually there's a bigger error in what Te Pāti Māori say. You know what? It's true that our Government's 40 percent Māori but it shouldn't matter. It shouldn't matter if you're black white Cuban or Asian. It doesn't matter if your ancestors sailed here 1000 years ago like some of mine or just got off a plane at Auckland Airport this morning to begin their journey. As New Zealanders in the 21st century we are all New Zealanders. I was talking about productivity growth and I just noticed the Māori Party seats and that got me thinking about it.Let me come back on to the topic. The second thing that you need no matter what your ethnic background is is infrastructure. A plumber that can do five jobs in a day is more productive than one that does three jobs and spends a whole lot of time sitting in traffic. A factory that breaks down and gets the repair van out there so the workers can keep working at that time is a lot more productive than one that has to wait a day for the parts to arrive. A tourism industry where people can easily drive from Auckland to the Bay of Islands to enjoy the wonderful beauty of our home in Te Tai Tokerau is more productive than one where people wonder "Is this actually State Highway 1 or have I got lost?".That is why we need public-private partnerships. We need more foreign investment which I'm proud to be leading as the Associate Minister of Finance and we need city and regional deals and partnerships along with the excellent investment of around $19 billion of capital in this year's Budget—especially that led by Simeon Brown our Minister of Transport.There's another thing that you need beside a good regulatory environment and infrastructure. That's education and this Budget is filled with it. For one thing we're actually having a curriculum filled with valuable knowledge that one generation will pass to the next. And I read today that New Zealand children in the English curriculum are going to read about someone called Shakespeare and Witi Ihimaera! Who are these people? Well soon everyone will actually know because we're going to teach our culture and our values as a country and pursue academic excellence. In fact I can tell you they were offering to teach something in the curriculum called "grammar"! That is what's going to be in the curriculum so that the next generation actually—I just saw Shanan Halbert the former member for Northcote looking really confused. That's g-r-a-m-m-a-r. We're going to have charter schools so that communities can innovate and when people say we don't want to partner with Māori—I got a text message from my hapū just this week saying "What do we have to do to get a charter school?". I had to explain that you don't just text someone; there's a bit of a process and I should probably remove myself from it. But anyone who believes for a moment—[Interruption] anyone that believes for a moment that this is not a Government that will partner with Māori and Pacific and anyone that has a good idea to engage students in education learning a top-class curriculum who hasn't heard about charter schools—they ain't seen nothing yet.The final thing that we need besides better regulation world-class infrastructure and world-class education—this Government and this country need a Government that is as careful with other people's money as the people who earned it. I think when you look at a $2.4 billion a year allowance in the next three years what you're seeing is a Government that's going to spend less than inflation and that's going to spend less than population growth. It is going to do more with less. That is the real solemn commitment in this Budget that I'm so proud of—a Government that is making a solemn commitment starting where we are to do more with less every year from here on.And finally I can't help but refer to the conflict of visions that occurs every Budget. On this side of the House we believe that New Zealanders are human beings with inalienable rights and universal human dignity in the right to make a difference in their own life and flourish the way that they would like. On the other side of the House fundamentally you don't own yourself you don't own your life and you don't own your money. You are the prisoner of collectivism and if you don't act the right way for your particular type of person woe betide you. This is the Budget for the ordinary New Zealander who wants to make a difference in their own life and be the person they want to be not the person someone else wants them to be. Thank you Mr Speaker."