Mark RonHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence): It is a pleasure to be able to rise and take a call in support of this appropriations Budget debate on the 2018 Budget. Having listened to some of the speeches from the other side of the House and to my colleagues within the Government speaking it draws me to reflect on something that I learnt a long time ago. It was this: one can judge people we can judge a community and you can judge a Government not by what they say they are going to do not by what they say they value and not by what they say that they believe in; you judge people by what they do.This Budget marks a transformation for me from a Government that was insensitive to the plight of ordinary New Zealanders to a Government that cares about people—from a Government that believed in a hands off the wheel" free-market approach to governance to a Government that accepts that it has a role and a responsibility to manage the economy and to intervene where necessary with Government-led services where the market would not could not and has not intervened and to do so in such a way as to alleviate the plight of its people.I heard one of my colleagues—I'm struggling to remember who it was—in a speech earlier on in this debate say that he was proud of the fact that this Government was allocating sufficient funds money and level of priority and urgency to addressing the housing problems—problems that the previous Government didn't seem to believe existed—and to addressing the issues in education that would transform the lives of some New Zealanders taking children who were learning by the courtesy light in a vehicle or a car into homes that were warm and into schools that had enough classrooms and enough teachers and enough resources to provide them with the quality of education that they fully deserve: a quality of education that will enable them to grow and develop into productive constructive well-qualified employed New Zealanders.That a Government could turn its eye away and not bring itself to acknowledge that there was a housing crisis to not seem to want to know about the thousands of families—families whose parents were employed but who have been forced to live in cars—is actually something quite astonishing. It gives me cause to reflect on my maiden speech which I delivered from that seat right there. I reminded the House of the words of a famous New Zealander by the name of Norm Kirk who said "People don't want for much. They simply want somewhere to live somewhere to work someone to love and something to hope for."This Government is going to deliver on all of those things. Chris Bishop: Oh righty-o.Hon RON MARK: We will provide these people—Mr Bishop from the Hutt says "rubbish." Mr Bishop: the same man who supported the Government that denied there was a housing crisis. This Government will deliver houses to those people in need. This Government will not be selling off State houses that are needed to its mates. I will raise again that this Government will not do what a National Party Government did when it sold 541 of its State houses—the entire housing stock of the Wairarapa - Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua region the Tararua region—to Trust House Charitable Trust in Masterton who were meant to pick up the tab of providing social and community housing and who now have the audacity to come to this Government asking for funds so that it can build more.Well this bunch of National Party mates who got hold of that housing stock at $20000 a house who made a 500 percent profit on the books overnight—if they had the business acumen that they so proudly proclaim that they have one would have thought they would have levered against that equity and built more houses and upgraded the houses.No this Government will not have a bar of that sort of behaviour. This Government will not allow that sort of policy to continue. This Government has committed itself to building houses and I'm very proud to be a part of this Government for that one reason alone—but there is more.In my position as a New Zealand First MP I'm proud. I've heard a lot over there. I saw a lot on television over the weekend about the National Party running around beating its gums talking about broken promises. Well here's a couple: the promise to increase research and development spending approximately a billion dollars over the next four years for a 12.5 percent research and development tax credit—promise made promise kept; a billion dollars for the first year of the Provincial Growth Fund—promise made promise kept; the billion trees programme—promise made promise kept; re-establishing the Forestry Service—promise made promise kept; a commitment to increase the number of police officers by 1800 with $298.8 million in new operating funding for the police to do that—promise made promise kept Mr Ngaro; a billion dollars for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.Isn't it astonishing that the MPs who believe in free trade who stood on this side of the House and waxed lyrical about the need to engage internationally multilaterally and be engaged in trade negotiations who couldn't pull the EU across the line—couldn't even get them to the table—now are arguing that we don't need diplomats we don't need embassies and we don't people working internationally engaging with the EU engaging in Europe to do the very same thing.Well just can it—just can it National. We don't even believe you believe that rhetoric. We think it's a wonderful line for the media but actually even the media don't believe that you believe what you're saying National. So that is a great initiative—promise made promise kept. Funding a crackdown on migrant exploitation—promise made promise kept; doubling the size of the Limited Service Volunteers (LSV) scheme. Remember cast one's mind back—Mr Ngaro says "Oh this is a rehash of old policy." Well here's the old policy. The National Government shut down one of the three Limited Service Volunteers operations. The National Government slashed its numbers in half. The National Government—and Mr Mitchell fought tooth and nail to get his own colleagues to accept that they were wrong; unfortunately they didn't listen to Mr Mitchell. They did put in place the building of the new youth development unit facility at Whenuapai which I was pleased to turn the first sod of soil on.But this Government has put the money in to double the intake of LSVs and to re-establish Trentham's facility so we can provide that support and care for these young New Zealanders who deserve that opportunity. I just think everyone in that Cabinet who opposed Mr Mitchell needs to hang their head in shame. But don't worry Mr Mitchell we've done it for you because that is actually our policy.Look at the defence spend-up. I heard a lot of comments from that same man Mr Mitchell about how there were going to be defence funding cuts. Well guess what? There are no cuts. Guess what? There's an increase—$367 million. And by the way just keep one's eyes open.Hon Mark Mitchell: We need the P-8s.Hon RON MARK: Mr Mitchell says "Where are the P-8s?" I would ask Mr Mitchell that question. Where were the P-8A Poseidons? Where were they? There was nothing. No money allocated no decision made—just like the frigate systems upgrade project. No decision made. He's going to go down in history as the Minister of Defence who couldn't make a decision about anything. On the big-ticket items that he dares now to challenge this Government on I simply say to Mr Mitchell and to the National Party and to the RSA and to all the veterans: hold on to your seats. Hold on to your seats because this Government means business and this Government values and appreciates its men and women New Zealand. It understands the vulnerabilities that they face. It understands the needs of the Five Eyes partners. This Government is working hard right now but we will not make rushed decisions that reflect the last Government's behaviour. We will work through things. I will assure myself Mr Mitchell that the decisions this Government makes on equipment procurement are the right decisions not the wrong ones like in the past."