8. Budget 2018—Public Broadcasting FundingMELISSA LEE (National) to the Minister of Broadcasting Communications and Digital MediaBudget 2018—Public Broadcasting Funding8. MELISSA LEE (National) to the Minister of Broadcasting Communications and Digital Media: Does she stand by all her policy commitments?SPEAKER: Sorry before the Minister answers I'm also going to require Matt Doocey to withdraw and apologise.Matt Doocey: I withdraw and apologise.Hon CLARE CURRAN (Minister of Broadcasting Communications and Digital Media): Yes in the context they were given.Melissa Lee: Does she consider it a broken promise that she only managed to obtain funding of $15 million in Budget 2018 given that in a Cabinet paper released on 25 February 2018 she sought $152 million over four years to deliver on the Labour Party election promise?Hon CLARE CURRAN: First of all I reject the premise of that question. Secondly $15 million is the largest increase in public broadcasting in more than a decade. The Minister of Finance has described this as a down payment. It is part of a foundation Budget. It's going to take more than one Budget to fix the starvation of public media by the previous Government. We have three years to implement this policy and a Budget bid in the next year will address the long-term needs of the public media sector. Melissa Lee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I didn't want to disturb the Minister when she was speaking but if it is actually in the Cabinet paper can she actually dispute it? SPEAKER: I think the member has addressed the question. Members mightn't like the answer or might question the accuracy of it. I think the best way of sorting it out is by the member asking a more detailed supplementary on that question. The trouble was she had two legs and therefore it was easier to address. Melissa Lee: Plenty of time. Does she agree with the chair of Better Public Media Dr Peter Thompson that It is doubtful that $15m will be sufficient to develop RNZ+ into a non-commercial television service" and that RNZ+ needs somewhere between $25 million and $30 million to have a chance of success?Hon CLARE CURRAN: At the risk of repeating the whole of the previous answer I would say that $15 million is significantly more than the measly $2.84 million that the previous Government allocated last year after nearly a decade of funding freezes. I have said it's going to take more than one Budget to fix the starvation of the public media sector under her Government and that's why we've got three years to implement this policy. SPEAKER: I'm going to ask the member to repeat the question. Melissa Lee: Does she agree with the chair of Better Public Media Dr Peter Thompson that "It is doubtful that $15m will be sufficient to develop RNZ+ into a non-commercial television service" and that RNZ+ needs somewhere between $25 million and $30 million to have a chance of success? Simple question. Hon CLARE CURRAN: I understand the frustration of Better Public Media because this sector has been so—[Interruption] SPEAKER: Order! Hon CLARE CURRAN: —chronically underfunded so I agree with his frustration. We cannot deliver—every single Minister has had to make compromises in this Budget. We will deliver. We have three years to do that."