Heatley Phil: Budget Debate 
Heatley Phil: Budget Debate 
[Volume:647;Page:16399] 
PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) 
: 
 That was a former Minister of Housing who along with his colleagues has been railing against tax cuts for the last 8 years but who is telling us now that suddenly they are a good idea. In fact so confused is he that he has been bragging in the House—it would have been recorded 5 minutes ago—that Labour is apparently giving $48 a week in tax cuts according to his figures. But according to the member if National gives $50 a week that is outrageous; that extra $2 will break the bank. So he is a very confused member who is claiming that Labour is giving $48 but that National if it gives $50—incidentally I do not know where he got the figure from—will suddenly break the bank. That is absolutely absurd. 
I find it interesting though that that member is putting the spin on Labour’s tax relief. While arguing that tax cuts are really bad for the economy he is now exaggerating the tax cuts that Labour is going to give. I know that every TV station in this country every newspaper in this country and every radio station in this country did the maths. Their people left this Budget they left this House and they went away to do the maths. Do members know what they reported? Every TV station in this country every newspaper in this country and every radio station in this country reported just what that elderly woman playing bowls said on Television One’s  
News 
 which was that this tax cut equates to one whole block of cheese on special. That is right—one whole block of cheese on special. Listening to the Labour member speaking previously we would think that Labour is giving huge tax cuts. Why is it then that every media outlet in this country and that elderly woman playing bowls have cast their eyes across the figures and come up with one single block of cheese on special? I will tell members why. It is because the news media and that woman got it right and the Labour Party is now putting spin on it hoping that New Zealanders will get it wrong—but they will not. Labour’s tax relief is too little too late. It should have come 4 years 3 years 2 years and 1 year ago. It is absolutely disgraceful. 
But I can tell members that 36000 bureaucrats in Wellington will not be getting a cut—they will not have a reduction in their spending. Bureaucrats are up in numbers from 26000 just 8 years ago to 36000 today but their spending has not been cut at all. In fact I know that some had a little bit of cash in their back pockets for the mini bar at Tongariro Lodge. That is right; they were each given a little bit of spending money for the mini bar at Tongariro Lodge. I tabled the answer to a written question today and do members know how much miscellaneous spending those 94 Housing New Zealand Corporation bureaucrats had? They had $5000 in miscellaneous spending. Do members know why? Rather than write “mini bar” the Housing New Zealand Corporation decided to write “miscellaneous spending.” Steve Maharey might very well look ashamed because when he was an MP in Opposition 9 years ago he said: “This is enough. Government agencies should no longer be going to luxury lodges. I won’t have it.” But then his Minister of Housing Maryan Street oversaw a 2-day visit to Tongariro Lodge that cost the taxpayer $65000 and she oversaw that just 2 weeks ago. 
Can members of this House tell me how long everyday New Zealanders have been tightening their belts in this country? Is it about 6 months? 
Pansy Wong 
: Oh a year. 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: It is perhaps even a year. Can members of Parliament here tell me how long businesses in New Zealand have been tightening their belts? 
Chris Tremain 
: 8 months. 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: About 8 months—6 months or 12 months maybe? We are saying that everyday New Zealand businesses have been tightening their belts for 6 to 12 months now while the Minister of Housing who has completely lost touch with those businesses has sent bureaucrats to Tongariro Lodge—not a year ago but 2 weeks ago. This Government is absolutely and utterly out of touch with New Zealand and that is an absolutely disgrace. 
Chris Tremain 
: You’ve got to wonder what she’s got planned in her Budget for next year. 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: I am concerned about what the Minister of Housing has got planned in her budget for next year’s conferences. It will not be Tongariro Lodge it will not be Millbrook; I understand that perhaps Hawaii or some sort of overseas venue might be on the cards next year if the Minister of Housing is still in Government which is highly highly unlikely. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There is just a little bit of confusion here. I think that Phil Heatley just offered John Key’s Hawaiian mansion for conferences for New Zealand public servants; I just ask that he clarifies that. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No that is a debating issue. 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: So what is incredible here is that essentially Labour is saying: “We’re going to give the public a block of cheese on special and you 94 bureaucrats should go off to Tongariro Lodge and have a good couple of days. Here is $5000 for miscellaneous spending and if you spend it on a mini bar that is fine with us. Do not tag it; we do not want to know about it as far as we’re concerned. But New Zealanders have a block of cheese; bureaucrats go off to Tongariro Lodge.” and “Bring back some photos. If you catch a trout I’d like to have it.” is what the Minister of Housing is saying. 
I would like to talk about the Housing New Zealand Corporation because the ex-Minister across the House Mark Gosche who was the Minister of Housing for a time oversaw some issues at the Housing New Zealand Corporation that I think as a National Party we will definitely have to address. One issue is that of the wanton vandalism by a minority of State house tenants that has never been checked. Year after year the vandalism bill for the corporation has been going up by about 10 percent—some years by 8 percent some years by 12 percent. But there are a couple of million bucks’ worth of broken windows and kicked-in doors every year and that Government will not do anything about it. I say that when there are 10000 struggling families on the waiting list who would really appreciate a State home—that is what they need—why would we house someone who consistently kicks in doors and breaks windows? Why would we house someone with a sort of Trevor Mallard complex: “Some days I just get violent and I want to hit someone.” or “I want to hit something kick a door in or punch someone.”? Why would we put a person with a Trevor Mallard complex in a State house when so many other desperate families are on the waiting list? 
Other issues concern State houses where one person is rattling around in a 4 or 5-bedroom house large sections million-dollar homes and high-income tenants—tenants getting $70000 $80000 or $90000 income and living in a State home. I wonder what those tenants’ tax cuts will be under Labour. I reckon it will be two blocks of cheese for those $70000-income State house tenants—“A couple of blocks of cheese a State house and you can kick in the doors and we won’t even hold you to account.” 
There is a lot of waste in this Government; I have just addressed the one area of housing. It is a crying shame that we now have to listen to stories from all Government departments about the waste of the taxpayer take. All that New Zealanders will get back according to every newsagent in this country is the money for one miserable block of cheese on special while they watch bureaucrats enjoying themselves at Tongariro Lodge—fly-fishing and sitting by the fire at night with four-course meals and chatting about the day’s events. It is a sad state of affairs and that is why the country is looking forward to a change of Government.