Ryall Tony: Appropriation (2010/11 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ryall Tony: Appropriation (2010/11 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Sitting date: 03 August 2010. Volume:665;Page:12897. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 When their colleagues were applauding what was going on with George Hawkins the young guy from Rimutaka Chris Hipkins and the chap from Palmerston North Iain Lees-Galloway? 
I must pick up from where the Minister of Finance finished because it really is going according to the playbook of what happens when the Leader of the Opposition is on the skids. In that situation the leader has a speech and a little note will go around in an email stating “The leader is about to speak; please all make your way down to the Chamber”—and they did. But I have to say after hearing that speech from Phil Goff that it can only be summed up with these words from Chris Carter: Mr Goff is a very nice man but he just cannot win. What is more Mr Carter went on to say that there are many members of the caucus who feel the same way. They are the ones who did not stand when we saw the ovation following Mr Goff’s speech today and a lot of the members who did stand are also included in that group. 
The statement that Mr Goff is a very nice man but just cannot win came from someone who was one of his front-benchers until a few weeks ago Mr Carter. It is a bit like what used to happen in the Soviet Union where if anyone disagreed with the leader that person would be sent to the asylum. That is what they are saying about Chris Carter. It is very very impolite and it is not a reflection of the situation that Mr Goff finds himself in. 
What was sad about Mr Goff’s speech was the fact that it is clear Labour does not get that its “more debt higher tax” policies will not work for New Zealand. There is no awareness from the party opposite that we are coming out of the worst recession since the 1930s. Mr Goff was in a party that during the best of times squandered the opportunities New Zealand had and he now represents a party that has no coherent vision for the future of this country. He is a very nice man but he just cannot win when he has no plan or policies for New Zealand other than to spend another $300 million which is what Ruth Dyson is going around the country and saying we should do. Apparently we will fix everything by spending another $300 million. What we know is that that is not the case. 
During its term the previous Labour Government spent recklessly interest rates were persistently high exporters were struggling and the tax system clearly was not working. Under this Government we have a six-pillar programme of economic recovery for New Zealand the first of which is growth-enhancing tax cuts which are putting large amounts of money in the pockets of ordinary New Zealanders. Many New Zealanders will remember that Phil Goff and Annette King voted to put $500 a week tax cuts into their pockets and the pockets of Cabinet Ministers when they were in Government between 1984 and 1990. That is what they voted for: $500 a week in the pockets of Cabinet Ministers. Annette King and Phil Goff stuck their hands up and said “Yes thank you we’ll have the $500 a week tax cut.” 
What this Government has done is to give average wage earners the significant benefits they deserve. A family on the average household income will be $25 a week better off and the vast majority of New Zealanders will face a tax rate of no more than 17.5c in the dollar. 
Sue Moroney 
: Not after their early childhood education fees have gone up. Tell us about what’s going on with young children Tony. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Oh and what is her name from the Waikato? 
Paul Quinn 
: Moroney? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Was Sue Moroney in favour of Phil Goff’s voting to put $500 in his own pocket? Oh she was in favour of that. 
We have lower personal tax rates a lower marginal tax rate for the vast majority of New Zealanders and lower tax rates that make us more competitive with Australia thereby giving the right incentives to business and individuals to get ahead. We are also focusing very strongly on better smarter public services for New Zealanders and on getting the Government debt and spending under control. We know that we inherited a forecast that was a nightmare for the New Zealand economy. What we had seen was the world economic crisis economies heading way down and the previous Government not doing enough to prepare New Zealand for that situation. 
We have capped the Public Service bureaucracy and moved resources to front-line services and New Zealanders can see those improvements every day. An extra 13000 people received elective surgery last year because of the National Government’s investment. People are getting faster cancer treatment than they did under the previous Government and today I can tell the House that the significant extra $60 million investment that we put into community medicines sees a quarter of a million New Zealanders getting medicine that they would not have been given 2 years ago without that significant investment. 
Minister Paula Bennett has been leading a real drive for welfare that focuses on work. Not only has this been coupled with lowering personal marginal tax rates but also she has put together a package that encourages people to get back to work and take responsibility for themselves. Job Ops and Community Max are really giving young people in my electorate and elsewhere around the country the opportunity to get workplace skills and experience. 
Thirdly and very importantly Minister Anne Tolley is leading a significant sea change in education with national standards— 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: That’s not what teachers say. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Actually most teachers are getting on with the business of implementing national standards because they do not like the fact that one in five kids can leave school not being able to read and write well enough to get a job. They do not like that so they are working very hard to implement national standards in literacy and numeracy. The reports that parents are getting are providing much better information than was provided previously. We know that in education there has been significant investment such as a 4 percent increase for schools in their operations grant funding $350 million for school property over the next few years and very exciting things happening with Youth Guarantee and trade training in schools. It is excellent that we are investing in these trade academies around the countryside and really making a significant change. These are the things in education that will really deliver the lift in skills and attainment that we as New Zealanders want. 
Very importantly as the Minister of Finance said not only are we putting more money in people’s pockets focusing on education and getting better quality public services but also we are investing in infrastructure—an area neglected by the previous Labour Government. As it was throwing the cash around it did not focus on the really important infrastructure investments that can help our country grow. We will invest almost $11 billion over the next 10 years in roads and roading infrastructure in New Zealand we will invest $1.5 billion over 10 years in the ultra-fast broadband network and we will upgrade the electricity transmission. 
What is more there is nothing more significant than the Government’s public health investment in the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme. Under that programme 50000 homes have been insulated. This is a significant public health measure. As we travel around the country we are already picking up on stories of families that now have opportunity and success as a result of having warmer and drier homes and their kids are no longer having respiratory problems like asthma and other difficulties that one gets from living in damp homes. That is a significant investment and a major public health programme. The health service has made a contribution. The Labour Party called that a cut in the health budget because we gave money to the Healthy Homes programme but that is one of the best things we can do in health. 
We are also making a significant investment in business innovation and in our trade agenda but also very importantly we are making a real commitment to cut red tape and regulation. Minister Kate Wilkinson is leading a huge effort to streamline employment law in order to give businesses and employees the opportunity to expand employment opportunities. The 90-day trial period is being extended to all businesses. Nick Smith is doing a great job on the Resource Management Act. Everywhere I travel around New Zealand people are saying that we are doing significant things in resource management in order to make it easier for people to invest in their businesses and get ahead. 
This is a Government with a real agenda for the changes that we are driving through. The Labour Party has a real agenda for change—its leader is a very nice man but he is just not up to the job.