Clark DavidHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): I think that member Paula Bennett might have been reading last year's Budget. I have a fear that she flicked the wrong book open and was looking at last year's Budget because this year's Budget put the biggest boost into health spending in a decade. It put the first across-the-board investment into early childhood education in a decade. This was a Budget that was about health and education. It's also a strong Budget that projects surpluses into the future to invest in the infrastructure that was neglected under that Government's watch; that prior Government that neglected infrastructure for so long that it sees our hospitals with rot and mould in the walls and leaking operating theatres in one part of the country.This Government is proud to have a Budget that invests in New Zealanders; a Budget that lays the foundations for the transformation of our society and economy to rebuild the public services that have been neglected for so long. We also see the pathway to a sustainable low-carbon economy laid out in this Budget—a just transition. The Budget builds on the 100-day plan and of course the $5.5 billion that was put into the Families Package. Instead of the tax cuts skewed to the wealthiest New Zealanders in the mini-Budget that came before the Budget that $5.5 billion went in to make sure that the most vulnerable New Zealanders were supported to help their children in the early years of life and of course money into the super fund—those long-term things that have been neglected under the previous Government's watch.And of course the Budget itself tells us that GDP growth is expected to remain strong across the forecast period. It tells us that unemployment is expected to continue to drop down to 4.1 percent at the end of the forecast period close to the Government's goal of 4 percent and that wage growth is good—expected to be 3 percent on average over the next five years. This is a Budget that is good news for working New Zealanders. Of course into the future those surpluses will help this Government with its aims to ensure that we do invest in capital expenditure—the expenditure that had been neglected under the previous Government's watch—that we correct the infrastructure deficit that we've inherited and that we also reduce debt over time.Let's not forget that that prior Government—the National Government—borrowed more than any other Government in New Zealand history. They borrowed more than any other Government in New Zealand history. They borrowed more than Muldoon's Government. We have taken on that debt and we're projecting surpluses into the future. They ran deficit after deficit after deficit and now we're projecting surpluses into the future. We're also preparing for any economic shocks. This is a responsible Government that is projecting surpluses that is growing the economy and that is reducing unemployment. The debt will decrease into the future under this Government's watch because it's a responsible Government.Let's look at the capital spending. There is $10 billion more than the previous Government's five-year window in the last Budget. So this Government is projecting more capital spending into the future and putting money aside for that purpose because this Government looks to the long term not just to the next election cycle like the previous Government did. We are going to fix that infrastructure deficit because we can't have leaky schools and hospitals that make people sick.Of course I want to also then specifically talk a little bit about the health portfolio and the plan to rebuild our health portfolio and our health system after years of neglect. Of course the people that have worked in our health system over the last nine years have done that tirelessly and in challenging conditions but they have continued to provide excellent healthcare for New Zealanders and I want to thank the health workforce for continuing to do that under the previous Government's watch. We know there's been understaffing and we've seen the discontent from the nurses as they faced the fact that they barely had a pay increase under the National Government's watch and they had hospitals keeping vacancies open and stretching them beyond what was reasonable. Of course this Government wants to put that right. We are ambitious for New Zealand for seeing our workers properly supported to do their jobs and I am so delighted that the nurses have settled and done that by a big majority once they had confidence around the safe staffing arrangements that will be put in place to make sure that we do have fully-staffed hospitals in a way that we haven't had over the last nine years.In the health area in particular this Budget set aside $750 million in capital expenditure to begin the rebuild of our health system—the biggest input in 10 years into the health system in capital terms—because the previous Government didn't really invest in the buildings in our health sector. That's why we have that rotten mould in the walls. The biggest amount they put in was $450 million and that was in response to the Canterbury earthquake. Well we're putting in $750 million in our first year. In many of their years in Government they put nothing in—no capital set aside in the Budget for our health system. Well this Government takes a different view. We are looking out 10 years and seeing that there's about $14 billion needed in the health system—$14 billion—and we are making a start with the first capital allocation of $750 million as we acknowledge that the workforce will need to ramp up to deliver a proper health system that will survive into the future and that will provide the health services New Zealanders expect and deserve into the future.We're also making sure that people get the care where they need it. This Government invested in cheaper doctor visits for 540000 New Zealanders who hold community services cards meaning that their doctor's bill will drop on average by $20 to $30 a visit—up to $50 in some cases. They will drop by $20 to $30 a visit for CSC holders—community service card holders—and that will make care accessible for those people. It will mean that they will be able to actually get the care that they need when they need it. But that previous Government did nothing. They were content to see GP fees raised by 44 percent under their watch. Well we on this side of the House recognise that when over half a million New Zealanders every year say they can't go to the doctor for reasons of cost we need to do something about it. I'm very proud of the steps we've made in this Budget to address that issue.Of course also in this Budget we started to get real about a growing and ageing population in the health sector. We finally funded district health boards (DHBs) properly after years of underfunding—the biggest investment into health into the DHB funding since the last year of the last Labour-led Government funding track. This Government takes healthcare for New Zealanders seriously and that's why we are making the biggest investment in health in a decade because this Government cares.Of course we're also going to make changes in the health sector. We are going to change it for the better to make sure that our health specialists and our clinicians are supported to deliver healthcare that they want to deliver not only with new funding but looking at the whole health system. There's a once-in-a-generation opportunity as we launch the review of the health and disability sector to make sure that we're fit for purpose for that growing and ageing population into the future.In the debate itself that we had through this House we heard various figures quoted by the previous Government about the investment that was needed and whether we were going to live up to our word on the investment. Well we said before the election we'd put an extra $8 billion in and we will deliver on that. This Government will deliver on its commitment over the forecast period to put $8 billion more into the health sector. We made that promise because we knew our political opponents would not match it because they have underfunded health for so long. This was the first tranche of investment $3.2 billion over the forecast period—$3.2 billion over the forecast period—and of course we've got two Budgets to come. We will get serious about the population and the need for support.We're also getting serious about mental health—something that the previous Government also neglected. They talk a lot about a $100 million contingency fund and of course what many people out there won't appreciate is that a contingency fund is a fund when you don't have a fund. It's putting money over to one side and saying Maybe one day we'll spend it. Maybe one day we'll sit down have a conversation and spend some of that money. Maybe we won't. Maybe we won't." In this Budget this Government spent $250 million straight up not some "We'll put $100 million over there and maybe we'll spend it one day maybe we won't." We spent $250 million straight up. We committed to spending that money.This Government cares about mental health. We've got a mental health and addictions review that will report back in a few short months with some serious recommendations I have no doubt about change that's needed in our system. But we've already chosen to invest in new models of care for integrated therapies in Canterbury and Kaikōura putting mental health workers on the ground in primary schools and rolling out nurses in decile 4 schools across the country. This Government is concerned with getting on with doing the things that we already know work in the mental health space. We're not waiting around but we will look to do more when the mental health inquiry reports back.I'm proud of the investment we've made in mental health. I'm proud of the investment we've made in primary care making sure people get those cheaper doctor's visits extending free doctor's visits so that 13-year-olds now qualify for free doctor's visits and I want to acknowledge New Zealand First's commitment to that as well. On top of that we of course have put in good capital spending to begin the rebuild of our health buildings and we've funded DHBs properly for the first time in years. I'm looking forward to more. This was a great Budget for health; it was a great Budget for New Zealand."