Bennett David: Appropriation (2014/15 Supplementary Estimates) Bill Imprest Supply (First for 2015/16) Bill — Second ReadingsText is subject to correctionBennett David: Appropriation (2014/15 Supplementary Estimates) Bill Imprest Supply (First for 2015/16) Bill — Second Readings[Sitting date: 17 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4506. Text is subject to correction.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East):There is only one failure in this House and that is Grant Robertson. If the person who is the economic spokesperson for the Labour Party cannot go 8 minutes without having to delve into the flag debate in one of the biggest economic speeches of the year that shows his competence around economic management. That guy has no idea of what is going on in economics. He is always going to be behind the eight ball on this.But look at this. I have got news for the people of New Zealand. I have got news for the people of New Zealand that comes from the last election. I went on to the website for the Labour Party. I know nobody does this and I know I should not do it but if you go on to its election website and you have a look at it it has on there a statement: “Everything is paid for plus we’re in surplus.” Under the Labour Party everything in its alternative Budget is paid for and it is surplus. So under Labour there would be a surplus now. I want to know from the Labour Party what it would cut. Would it cut that $25 to those beneficiary families who had not had anything for 43 years? Is that what the Labour Party meant when it said everything will be costed and in surplus? That was the promise of the Labour Party at the last election—that there would be a surplus. There would be a surplus no matter what. No matter what there would be a surplus. [Interruption] And we are talking about the appropriation bill Mr Assistant Speaker as the last member did. Under that policy there would be a surplus.The other line that is really important to look at is: “Labour will balance the budget and run surpluses every year.” That is a direct quote from the Labour Party. I want to know from the Labour Party what it would cut. Under the Budget and under the appropriation legislation what would the Labour Party be cutting for hard-working New Zealanders? What would it be cutting for beneficiaries? What would it be cutting for the people who are going to benefit from this legislation today? I look forward to hearing that from Labour because it was telling us it would have been in surplus this year. Every year it would be running a surplus. Every year there would be a surplus. There would be no extra social spending under Labour.The Labour Party goes out there and tells people that it is there for the people in most need. Well the people in most need would have got nothing under the Labour Party Budget in the last month because it would have had to be getting a surplus of a large amount. Under the National Government we actually went out there and delivered for those people in need. We delivered for them.Dr David Clark: Where’s the surplus?DAVID BENNETT: Where is the surplus? It is coming. That surplus will not be far away.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! I am going to draw the member’s attention to the bill—I think he knows which bill it is because he chaired the select committee that dealt with it—and ask him to at least occasionally make passing reference to the supplementary estimates or the imprest supply legislation.DAVID BENNETT: Yes and for that legislation it is very important that we look at some of the funding that was talked about in it. The previous speaker spoke about that in regard to regions and wanted to know what was happening in the regional areas. Well I say come to Hamilton. Come to Hamilton as a test of what that regional funding is. Come to Hamilton and see a $2 billion expressway being built. Come to Hamilton and see a $500 million redevelopment of a hospital. Come to Hamilton and see $100 million spent on new schools in my electorate. Come to Hamilton and see that we are the first city to have broadband done across the city. Come to Hamilton and you will see the investment in regional New Zealand that this bill is part of and see that this Government is delivering financial support for the regions. We have delivered for our region. We have delivered the strongest economic base for that city to grow and prosper unlike the Labour Party whose members come into our city only at election time and when they do they leave before 2 o’clock because they know that they have got nothing to say. The people of our city understand that our Government through bills like this has delivered the infrastructure that is needed for our city to grow.When we hear from the Labour Party members one of the other things they talk about is moving away from primary industries. Well I would like to see anybody in the Labour Party who has actually milked a cow who actually knows how to get their hands dirty and who actually knows how to do anything—especially Grant Robertson the member from Wellington Central. It would be lovely to see whether he has actually done any farm work and all that. It is pretty rich for Labour members to come in here and tell us and the rest of New Zealand that we should be divesting away from the industry that we are the most competitive in around the world. Our most competitive advantage is in the dairy industry and those members bag it day after day in this House. They bag it day after day. That is not good for New Zealand and it is not good for our people going forward.When we look at economic growth it is interesting to have the New Zealand First Party there because the last speaker spoke about economic growth and said that if you took away Christchurch and you took away immigration economic growth would be very small. Well there are factors in creating economic growth. And I look over there at the New Zealand First Party. Those members want to take away immigration. They want to close New Zealand down and go back to the 1950s. They do not want new people coming to this country and I say to the members on that side—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! This is now the second strike for the member. The member will now address one of the two bills that are being debated for the rest of his speech.DAVID BENNETT: When we look at the Appropriation (2014/15 Supplementary Estimates) Bill—there were a number of comments made by the other side and I am just trying to deal with those comments—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): New Zealand First has not spoken Mr Bennett so you cannot try—DAVID BENNETT: No but there were comments made by the other parties. The Budget was delivered against that background of sustained economic growth and that economic growth is based on a number of factors. Many people have said that immigration is one of those factors. Well it is and it is a good thing. We need immigration. We need new people coming to New Zealand and we need that for the growth of this country going forward.When we look at it unemployment is supposed to drop considerably in New Zealand over the next few years. That is a direct result of the plan that is in this bill. When we look at it New Zealanders having good economic growth rates going forward is a result of the economic plans that have been put forward. When we look at it New Zealanders are going to go into Budget surplus either this year or next year. It is a very short-term difference between now and when it will be happening but it will happen and that is in the best interests of New Zealanders going forward.With those surpluses going forward we have choices as a country and as a community. Those choices are important because that is where you deliver the social services that bills like this deliver and that the Budget delivered for New Zealanders. That is an important part of what we do in this House. We cannot put that at risk. We cannot put that plan and that direction for New Zealand at risk by making petty promises and by trying to stop people coming into this country who will actually benefit and build this country to be even stronger. It is very disappointing when other parties do that.When we look at it this bill and the Budget itself included a lot of things out there for hard-working New Zealand families. They included things for people in the beneficiary space. It was a Budget for New Zealanders. It was a Budget for ordinary New Zealanders and it was a Budget that we should be proud of.Dr David Clark: The whips say: “Sit down”.DAVID BENNETT: No the whips do not say: “Sit down”. The whips say: “Go after the Labour Party.” but I will not do that. I would be unfair on the Assistant Speaker if I did that to him because he is a very fair Assistant Speaker sometimes I would imagine.In the end this is a bill that is important for New Zealanders because it relates to the Budget it relates to the finance policy advice Vote Finance and our supplementary estimates. It is important going forward for New Zealanders that we have legislation like this because if we pass this New Zealanders can all benefit. We can all benefit and we do not have promises that are made that are untrue unfair and will not deliver for New Zealanders. That is what the Opposition was pretending in its promises.When we look at this Budget—and we look at a Budget that has gone through this House in a very good way—then we look at the way that the public has responded to that Budget. They understand the financial implications of the Budget. They understand that at a time when it is most difficult we have given to most New Zealanders and have given them an opportunity going forward. When you look at that $790 million package at the heart of the Budget that is for the poorest households it is the thing that New Zealanders understand and believe in. They have bought into it and find it very helpful.Fletcher Tabuteau: They’re confused to be fair.DAVID BENNETT: New Zealand First members may say things over there in that corner but the thing is that New Zealanders do get it. They do get it. They understand that this is the sort of thing that they want to see happen. They are not going to have a Labour Party coming in here and saying that surpluses have not been achieved when the Labour Party promised surpluses and under its own planning it would never have been able to deliver them because you cannot have a surplus and at the same time deliver that expenditure—unless of course we get that good revenue in the next few months that could actually enable New Zealand and this Government to go into surplus even though we have had to deal with it in the Budget. This is a good piece of legislation for New Zealanders going forward and we look forward to it passing through the House.