Jones Shane: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Jones Shane: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:630;Page:2417] 
SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 In speaking to the set of statements I want to focus on three themes. Although members of the Finance and Expenditure Committee did not obviously have the pleasure of agreeing with each other we had the pleasure of the Minister of Finance’s company and that of the senior civil servants from Treasury. In particular I want to direct members’ attention to an element that reflects the very moderate if not conservative approach that has been taken and that we are likely to see a great deal more of. I direct members’ attention to page 5 of this very lucid document which reflects quite a great deal of sensible discussion. 
A great deal of nonsense has been spoken about in relation to whether there is a ballooning number of either wages or bureaucrats and about how we as the Government are doing precious little about it. I direct those members’ attention to page 5 where it is quite clearly stated that the Government and the senior advisers from Treasury have injected a tone and a note of moderation into future discussions to do with the personnel costs of the State. 
Of course this issue takes me on as well to respond to those unwise remarks made in relation to productivity. Yes over recent time we have seen a great deal of growth and improvement in fortunes on the basis of labour utilisation rates but there is now a great deal of focus on productivity. I have no doubt that during the upcoming 12 months when we exercise and show the moderation reflected on page 5 we will remind the key people—as Treasury and indeed the Minister of Finance have reminded people—of the importance of achieving more productivity. 
But let us remind the many New Zealanders who are either listening or who remain concerned that a more balanced account is given as to what is happening in terms of our strategy to drive fine ideas. We had a fantastic tranche idea to use the use the term “dividend day” to describe 1 April when the third tranche of our family assistance package was rolled out. It is something that was a key part to the election contest but indeed it has been well and truly built into our fiscal projections. The group of people on this side of the House when they conceive of the role of the State in relation to our economic stewardship believe there are very few things more precious than those who have the role of raising children. The education productivity attitude and aptitude of the next generation we are raising—I have more than a passing interest in this having enjoyed the pleasure both of fathering and rearing seven children and I look to many mokopunas on the way. However Working for Families is an element that clearly distinguishes the way in which we conceive of our role in the wider debate about political economy. 
A great deal of nonsense including unwise statements made on websites etc. has been spoken about our interest-free student loan programme. I can tell members that people up and down Te Taitokerau throughout Auckland and in a variety of far-flung places are completely and utterly over the moon with the bold step our Prime Minister took in relation to the student loan scheme. It will cause a whole host of people to enjoy coming back to Aotearoa to join the great march of achieving productivity outcomes but more important it will also remove a great deal of burden from the minds of parents and grandparents as they watch their children and mokopuna move on to university. 
In relation to business tax changes it is unfortunate today that a great deal has been said and that rather emotional and inaccurate words such as “secrecy” have been used in respect of the business tax change reform agenda. The reality is that when the civil servants are providing advice and when the Ministers are looking at options they need the space the scope and indeed a small measure of privacy so that when public documents are being prepared for consultation that process can be done on the basis that no injudicious or unwise things are thrown out into the public before the appropriate time. I hope that the very people who have been making those accusations and using in a very silly fashion emotional words such as “secrecy” bear in mind that a key element to our system is that officials must be able to give free and frank advice and that Ministers have the scope to take or reject it. 
We have had the election we have identified and have been very public about those things that we will spend our time on and business tax changes and policies are an important element into the future. I look forward to the not too distant future when the sentiments that the people invested in can be shown to have been true.