Carter David: Budget Debate 
Carter David: Budget Debate 
[Volume:608;Page:5803] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (NZ National) 
: 
 I guess that contribution from the new junior member for Waimakariri says it all. I expect that Dr Cullen would have said to those members in caucus: “Go in and talk positively about our good Budget.” But did that member mention one positive initiative? He spent his whole 10 minutes on a tirade against a lack of alternatives from the National Party. I say to that member to get out of bed a bit earlier and read the  
Dominion Post  
in the morning. He should have a look at page B5 of today’s  
Dominion Post 
 where Dr Don Brash has a quite sizable article outlining what he would have done if he had been Minister of Finance. 
I will pick up on one or two things. Clayton Cosgrove says that there is no policy and no alternatives. In respect of one option Don Brash suggests that on the tax side of the ledger we could move towards a flatter tax structure. On the spending side he suggests we could do a lot more to promote economic growth. I think that when people analyse this Budget today they will realise that it will go down in history as the Budget that halved New Zealand’s growth rate. Dr Cullen himself— 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: No wonder you got sacked as finance Minister. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: The member tries to say I am wrong. Dr Cullen himself said— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member. I say to the member on my right that he cannot use the word “you” across the Chamber. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. If the member is going to continue to interject would you at least ask him to move to his correct seat at the back of the House. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Would the member please continue. That only applies if the member has moved near in order to facilitate interjection but he is not doing that at the moment. I will be the judge of that. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: I hope that remains. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Standing Order provides that a person cannot change his or her seat to facilitate an interjection. That is precisely what Clayton Cosgrove has done. Speakers in the past have certainly upheld it against members of the Opposition if they have done that. I do not understand why Clayton Cosgrove who is trying to pretend he is in Cabinet should be allowed to advance his position and interject. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No I refer the member to Speaker’s ruling 53/2. Mr Cosgrove has been sitting in that seat for quite some time. He did not move purposely to facilitate interjection. I have made the ruling and I thank the member. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: Before Mr Cosgrove winds up again I ask him to look at pages 2 and 3 of Dr Cullen’s speech where he himself says that growth this year—2003—will be 4.4 percent and growth next year will be 2.2 percent. I know that the member is not bright but I suggest that he gets his calculator out as it will clearly demonstrate that growth will halve next year because of the Budget and policy of Labour. That is very serious. Damien O’Connor laughs about that. He finds it quite satisfactory for our growth rate to halve in 12 months and he laughs about it. He should go back to his electorate and laugh in the faces of his constituents who will see their standard of living continue to decline. More and more West Coasters are leaving the West Coast. 
Hon Damien O'Connor 
: They’re not. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: They are. The population continues to decline and that is why the boundaries of that electorate continue to move north. 
We used to hear a lot in previous Budgets about a partnership with business. I recall Dr Cullen’s first Budget talked about working with business to do something about growing our economy. I tell him to start working with business and advance policies that will actually help. When we look in this Budget to see what he has actually done to help we find and I quote him: “Budget 2003 provides funding for the establishment of a Small Business Advisory Group drawn directly from the business community.” He goes on to make a huge promise to business; he says that in February 2004—wait for it—we will have a summit of small to medium sized enterprises. 
Hon John Tamihere 
: Yes. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: John Tamihere says “Yes’. He will be asked to go and so will Stephen Tindall Hugh Fletcher and all those other well-known—[ 
Interruption 
] They will go. They will be there. It will be another talkfest. However I remind members that Dr Cullen’s first Budget called together such a group—the Alan Dunn compliance cost report. 
Rodney Hide 
: What happened then? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: They came back with a book about that thick with 100 recommendations that would help business. It was totally ignored and got the same treatment the McLeod tax review got. The Government should stop talking rhetoric about helping business and get on to it. 
I certainly have a message for United Future as it lines up to support this Budget. I know that it knew at the last election all the challenges that faced New Zealand. Its members used to talk about lifting New Zealand back into the top half of the OECD. They used to talk quite genuinely about raising the living standards of all New Zealanders. Yet when we come to vote on this Budget they will go into the Ayes lobby. They will happily support a Budget that halves New Zealand’s growth rate. I remember the promise from United Future: “We’re going to do something about health waiting lists. There is no mention in the Budget of reducing health waiting lists. 
Ron Mark 
: They’ve just cut the waiting lists. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: I am glad that Mr Mark noted that. In Christchurch the board did a marvellous job in cutting the health waiting list. Suddenly it took 7200 people off the waiting list. 
John Carter 
: Who? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: The Canterbury District Health Board took 7200 people off the waiting list and said there was no money for operations. Annette King said “We’re cutting the waiting list.” and United Future is prepared to believe that. Well the waiting list can be easily reduced if the numbers are just cut off—if we do not give people an operation and. tell them they will feel better tomorrow. That is pretty easy to do. 
What about law and order? Remember all those passionate speeches on television from Peter Dunne about a safe society and law and order? I looked at what we get for law and order and I saw that we get 50 additional police and a DNA mobile squad with a budget of $2 million a year. 
I listened to Mr Dunne’s contribution. He said that after the election New Zealanders wanted his party to support the Government. I say to United Future and to Mr Dunne that he is in absolute fantasy land if he thinks he is delivering to New Zealanders. I just remind Mr Dunne who congratulated Michael Cullen because the Budget had been delivered without surprises that only a week ago we sat in this House under extraordinary urgency and passed a tax bill. Mr Anderton and Mr Dunne tend to forget about that. It raised $18 million. 
Hon John Tamihere 
: Come on get a bit of passion into it. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: I will give a bit of passion. I have come across a letter signed by Mr Jim Anderton. Mr Tamihere will know about this one. It is addressed to a Mr Philip Gregan Chief Executive New Zealand Winegrowers. The letter is about a report  
Taxing Harm 
 which talked about the possibility of increased taxes on sherry. Mr Anderton had this to say: “The ministerial action group would certainly not raise taxes without the fullest consultation with the industry.” I am not sure whether Jim Anderton MP for Wigram and leader of the Progressive party was really conscious. 
I am running out of time and I want to catch up on one or two things that are very serious including the issue of biosecurity. There have been 24 breaches of our biosecurity borders this calendar year. I was hopeful that there would be something for biosecurity. I found a little press release from the Hon Jim Sutton. 
Rodney Hide 
: Who? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: The Hon Jim Sutton. He used to sit over there. He has issued this press release—but not as Minister of Agriculture so the farmers have again been missed out completely. As Minister for Biosecurity he has issued a small press release announcing $2.5 million for passenger aircraft and mail clearance over the next 4 years. That is $600000 a year for biosecurity. Mr Sutton should compare that with the $18 million a year the Government has just grabbed off the poor sherry drinkers after no consultation. 
This Budget does nothing to lift our growth rates. As Mr Cullen said and as Mr Cosgrove now agrees growth will halve. There is no attempt to fix the growth rate and lift the sustainable growth rate of New Zealand nothing for our infrastructural problems and nothing to address the power crisis. This is a very sad Budget.