Strange JamieJAMIE STRANGE (Labour): Mr Speaker thank you for the opportunity to talk third in a trio or a hat trick of excellent speeches so thank you for that opportunity. Look—SPEAKER: Order! Order! I mean if the member's saying that he's probably finished. JAMIE STRANGE: Oh I will carry on Mr Speaker. I would like to begin my speech talking about seniors. I'd like to acknowledge everything that the seniors in our country—those over the age of 65—have given to our country over many many years: building our country paying taxes building our infrastructure supporting their children their grandchildren. I'd like to mention one in particular; a woman by the name of Janet Franks who unfortunately just passed away in the past few days. She was the chair of the New Zealand Russian (Waikato) Friendship Society and did a lot of work building relationships between those two countries.This Government is helping seniors in the following way: the first one the winter energy payment. Now this came in last year. Seniors receive four months' worth of the winter energy payment and I received a lot of positive feedback about this. There are a number of seniors who for whatever reason—well I mean put it this way: there are a lot of seniors who are on fixed incomes and it can often be challenging. A rise in that income certainly helps a lot and the winter energy payment was one example of that. This year the winter energy payment will be rolled out from May to October—so six months—which is $20 a week per person or $30 per couple. A second thing we're doing for seniors is we're raising superannuation by 2.6 percent and that was from 1 April. So a couple has gone up $15.82 per week to a total of $632 per week. The third thing we're doing for our seniors is developing a new improved SuperGold smart card.The second point I'd like to touch on is the Provincial Growth Fund. I'd like to acknowledge the leadership from our colleagues in the New Zealand First Party for their passion for the regions. As a coalition Government we're working together with New Zealand First around our regions. One of the key things the Provincial Growth Fund has been doing—and I've seen it in my region in the Waikato region—is it's stimulating activity. So we have regions who have been struggling sometimes for a number of years and now they're getting together and they're starting to lift their heads up and they're starting to say What could we do in our region? What could happen?" Aspiration is growing. There is an opportunity for them to develop business cases develop feasibility studies work on projects see projects develop—projects that may have stalled for many years—see progress in those.A couple of examples in the Waikato region: the Te Aroha area—they've received a million dollars from the Provincial Growth Fund around tourism. Now this is an area where we have springs of water coming forward and from time to time the odd person might go there but they haven't had the capital to be able to expand this. Now with the Provincial Growth Fund they are doing just that.I'd like to touch on the well-being Budget which is being talked about right across the world. It's something new for a country and I'd like to acknowledge the Minister of Finance the Hon Grant Robertson for the great work he's doing around the well-being Budget. One point I'd like to pick up on is mental health—mental health will be a priority in this Budget as we've heard. Now mental health affects all of us whether you're in business education whether—you know we see people who are homeless; sometimes there's issues there around mental health. It affects all of society; it affects security. Making some positive changes in mental health will benefit all of our society. As someone who used to work in education I often worked with young people and unfortunately we've got some of the highest suicide rates in the OECD. This should not be the case and I'm proud that as a Government we are taking mental health seriously and that it will be a priority for this upcoming Budget.In my final few seconds I'd like to touch on the aspect of climate change. I'd like to acknowledge all of those young people who took a stand and said "We must do something about climate change." This Government is serious about climate change. We are passionate about having a clean green economy. We've already announced a number of policies in this area around doing our part. We will be a leader. Thank you.The debate having concluded the motion lapsed."