SpeechRt Hon DAVID CARTER (National): As we discuss this Appropriation (2019/20 Supplementary Estimates) Bill what really surprises me is the contributions that we've had particularly from Government members who almost seem to trivialise this legislation and the amount of money. There was a contribution from Dr Deborah Russell which I thought was worthwhile where she said We've never seen spending like that". I accept that and I go back to the Budget presented by the Hon Grant Robertson back in May. He talked about the fact that they were suddenly appropriating $50 billion of which at least $20 billion would have no detail at all and here we are now tidying up that Budget and the Supplementary Estimates with a bill that's particularly light on detail.As I look for some of the information I've found the best and the most appropriate place to go is the Budget document to which not one speaker has referred tonight. I can go through and list page after page of huge expenditure—Hon Shane Jones: Relevance—relevance.Rt Hon DAVID CARTER: The Hon Shane Jones says to talk relevance. I ask him then when we get into the committee stage to take the chair and explain to us COVID-19 assistance for primary industries—$10.245 billion. Mr Jones has no idea what it's for.Hon Shane Jones: Extension services—extension services.Rt Hon DAVID CARTER: It's got nothing to do with extension services because if he bothered to look at the paperwork it's actually $10 million that has been spent supporting the pork industry. The detail is here in the information of the Supplementary Estimates and that's what disappoints me with the discussion tonight. We normally have a Budget process where a Budget's presented and at the end of that Budget process there's inevitably a supplementary bill that tidies up the variations that occur and that's appropriate for all Governments. But what we've got here and what we're discussing tonight is supplementaries to the supplementaries. The Government has had to cope with an extraordinary situation with COVID and I fully accept that but the amounts of money we're talking about here are mind-boggling and you've just had the interjection from the Hon Shane Jones where he has no idea whatsoever why we're appropriating $10.245 billion to the Ministry for Primary Industries. Nothing to do with extension services; it's to do with supporting the pork industry.That's only one of the appropriations I can find. Go to Corrections—prisoner-based custodial services an extra $31.046 million appropriated for custodial services. Let a Government Minister stand and tell us what that money's been appropriated for. Go through to appropriations for education and again there's millions of dollars being appropriated here; some of it no doubt for the modems that were delivered to private schools right around the country after we'd moved to lockdown level 1 that were not needed by the schools at all and many of the schools appropriately sent it back to the Government. That's the sort of mismanagement I'm talking about with this particular legislation.Go through to Vote Health—millions of dollars being appropriated to all of the district health boards to cope with COVID-19; reasonably explicable I would think. But go through and explain to me—and I'm going to take this up with the Minister in the chair—the variations where Canterbury District Health Board gets $3.793 million additional money and Auckland for example doesn't seem to get anything. There is just a lack of exposure to the sort of expenditure we're discussing tonight.Māori development—$20 million for Whānau Ora to purchase achievement outcomes from non-Government commissioning agencies. What does that mean Michael Wood? He's been prepared to interject right throughout my speech but when I ask him a question he can't answer because he's never bothered to pick up this piece of information before the House today and discuss it. Vote Prime Minister and Cabinet—$11.619 million for the management of emergencies. Well we've got an emergency—it's called the border. It's failing us every day whereby people are coming finally into managed quarantine not voluntary quarantine coming into managed quarantine meant to be tested day 3 day 12. We've got no idea how many have been tested. We know a lot are out there without tests at all.Hon Shane Jones: What about Mr Bishop monstering the bureaucracy?Rt Hon DAVID CARTER: What about Mr—we've had the best interjection earlier when he claimed that the reason the Wairoa rail line's had only six trains is because it's got COVID. Trains have got COVID! That'll make news to the World Health Organization! The Hon Shane Jones it's a serious problem if that's happening.I could go on pulling this particular document to bits and I certainly intend to do so when we move to the committee stage of this legislation. But in listening to the debates tonight the Opposition members have seriously asked questions and questioned the relevance and the wisdom of the expenditure. We accept there has to be significant increase in expenditure. We accept that not all the details will be known—Hon Shane Jones: How much?Rt Hon DAVID CARTER: Well Shane Jones interjects again; he's got no idea how much. It's $50 billion of which $20 billion when the Budget was read was announced as no detail yet—"We'll let you know as we get close to 19 September." And that's what a lot of this money is for. It's about attempting to spend and show a Government of competency and what we've seen over the last week is they've got a hell of a job ahead of them if they're now going to show any competency at all whereby we declared internationally and received praise internationally that we were free of COVID-19 only a couple of days later to have a few cases and now I think it's up to nine or 11 at the day—Brett Hudson: We're the laughing stock now.Rt Hon DAVID CARTER: We're the laughing stock; Brett Hudson's absolutely right. We're the laughing stock of the world and this particular legislation and the way it's been treated by this House tonight is another reason why that Government continues to be a laughing stock not only internationally but certainly by the voters here in New Zealand and they'll bring that to the Government's attention come 19 September."