Guy Nathan: General Debate 
Guy Nathan: General Debate 
[Volume:655;Page:5025] 
Hon NATHAN GUY (Minister of Internal Affairs) 
: 
 What a shocking week Labour has had! The Hon Phil Goff the Leader of the Opposition has struggled to get any oxygen with this good Government which is doing a great job and which is now in its seventh or eighth month since being voted in by the New Zealand public with an overwhelming majority. Phil Goff is out there thinking up hare-brained schemes that are not even costed and that he has not run past anyone to see about their feasibility and practicality—for example allowing people who unfortunately find themselves unemployed to be able to receive the unemployment benefit even if they are in a couples situation with a partner who might be a millionaire. Phil Goff the leader of the Labour Party is out there promoting that these people should be getting welfare on the New Zealand system; I think that is shocking. When Phil Goff was challenged in the media and in the New Zealand public eye about this proposal he did not know whether or not there should be a cap on it. Phil Goff has been out there proposing one thing but when challenged he has been unwinding it as well. 
In my electorate of Otaki we can see how Labour is panicking because all around Kapiti this week people have been getting jammed in their letterboxes a glossy brochure from Phil Goff saying “Give us your thoughts. We haven’t got any policy; you should tell us what we need to do.” In essence that is exactly right. Labour Party members are out in my electorate talking to my constituents and trying to get some decent ideas because Labour does not have any. I think that is absolutely shocking. Labour does not have any policy as opposed to National’s successes that are coming in on the back of the worst recession since the 1930s. Labour is not proposing anything apart from a gold-plated welfare system. 
We can think about what National has been able to do in the last 7 or 8 months since it has been in Government. It has delivered $3 billion into the health system and that is forecast over the next 4 years. We will allow 800 more health professionals in order to increase elective surgery. Just last week in my electorate we rolled out a programme to help paramedics look after people for 24 hours a day. The scheme is an extremely successful pilot that allows paramedics to treat people in their homes which is fantastic. There is $103 million to increase maternity services. The list goes on. There is $245 million for upgrading the health sector infrastructure which is a very important component of our health budget. 
We heard just before from the Minister of Education the Hon Anne Tolley that an extra $1.68 billion—the biggest investment ever—is going into education to raise achievement. We are out there talking to parents up and down the country about numeracy and literacy standards to ensure we have clear reporting through to the family kitchen table so that parents know how well their kids are doing in the classroom. Putting an extra $1.68 billion into education is absolutely fantastic. 
We will have 600 more police looking after communities to try to help make communities safer. There will be 246 more probation workers to help improve public safety. The list goes on. There is $81 million for the Fresh Start initiatives. This is a busy Government that in its seventh or eighth month has already delivered a Budget against a backdrop of pretty bad economic times given the recession we are in but the Government was able to get on and do the business for its New Zealand constituents. 
Let us think about what we will focus on in the future. Business confidence remains positive. This Government is working with businesses and with the unions as well. We have a good work stream ahead of us so that we can crack on and do some things. Let us think about what the Government will do next. We have to focus on regulatory reform. We have a huge investment in infrastructure. We have seven corridors—roads of national significance—where we will streamline the Resource Management Act and put more money into roading. We will unclog the arteries to ensure we can lift productivity capability in this country. I think that is fantastic. We have better public services. The list goes on.