Laban Luamanuvao Winnie: Debate on Budget Policy Statement 
Laban Luamanuvao Winnie: Debate on Budget Policy Statement 
[Volume:623;Page:18900] 
LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN (Labour—Mana) 
: 
 Kia ora talofa lava and warm Pacific greetings. It is almost a pleasure to follow the honourable member John Key and to dispel the myth of depression that he is trying to exude all over our country. 
I stand with pride and with joy to participate in this very important debate on our 2005 Budget Policy Statement because I am a very proud member of this Labour Government. As a woman a Kiwi and a New Zealand - born Pacific Islander I stand with pride when I see the diverse faces of our Government and when I see the many communities that can participate and live a life of dignity. 
I thank our Minister the Hon Dr Michael Cullen for managing our economy well. It is all very well being conservative and fiscally responsible but it is important that we have the big picture and that our economy is sustainable. I also thank all those people who participated in the submission process for the Budget Policy Statement of 2005. Some of those were the Public Health Association the University Students Association the National Council of Women Federated Farmers and the Business Roundtable. 
The Budget Policy Statement of 2005 was published on 14 December 2004. In Dr Cullen’s remarks to the Finance and Expenditure Committee on 16 February 2005 he noted that things had moved on and that whilst the Budget Policy Statement forecasts were then some months old the strength of the economy had remained greater for longer than most forecasters had predicted. 
The Budget Policy Statement has three main policy goals: the first is to maintain fiscal and economic responsibility; the second is to build capacity to cope with future shocks and pressures; and the third is to ensure a fair society and to improve New Zealand’s economic performance. Our Government’s progress paints a very positive picture in relation to those three main policy goals and to our Budget Policy Statement. It shows us—and the facts speak for themselves—that our economy is in good heart and our businesses are doing well. The Hon Richard Prebble remarked on the fact that our trade figures are looking good and that our exporters are doing well. 
There is also tremendous business growth locally. Firms are employing more people and our unemployment statistics show that the unemployment rate is down to 3.8 percent. That is really really great news. Our Government is overseeing one of the strongest economies for years. Economic growth is still very strong at 4.6 percent and we have the lowest unemployment rate in the OECD. 
This afternoon I want to reflect on the impact upon the people of our Wellington region and also of my Mana electorate of this Labour-led Government its sound Budget policies and its responsible economic management. Many of our households have every reason to celebrate. Local figures from Statistics New Zealand have revealed that the average gross weekly household income in the Wellington region has risen by 16.1 percent. It is up from $1128 a week in 1999 to $1310 a week now. The lowest paid workers—30000 people across the country; many of whom also live in my electorate—have seen their hourly rate increase by 29 percent to $9 for adults and by over 28 percent to $7.20 for youth. 
Good management through the Budget also means that we have more for education. In Porirua and Mana we now have extra secondary school teachers from the latest Government staffing boost and we are also answering a demand for more teachers in areas like maths and science. We have thousands of new bonded scholarships for student teachers worth up to $20000 each. We have put lots of money into early childhood participation and throughout my electorate where I visit a lot of our pre-school centres I can see the increased participation that has huge spin-offs in the long run. 
 Our young people of our four colleges in Porirua participate in the Gateway programme. That means that many students can do placements with local businesses and trade places so that they can actually carve out their careers and look forward to jobs at the end of their study. That Gateway programme has been absolutely wonderful for our area. 
In the tertiary area debt is a big issue for students and families but under this Government the cost of average tuition fees has fallen. The student loan debt between 2000 and 2004 has gone up by just over 15 percent but the student loan write-off policy allows for no interest to accrue while students are studying. 
Prudent fiscal management is releasing funds for improving the safety of our roads and reducing congestion. The residents of Kapiti and Mana—people from Darren Hughes’ electorate and my electorate—benefit enormously from the $225 million boost for transport. It means that a lot of that funding will go into existing passenger transport and into rail in particular and a further $160 million will go to projects to ease congestion and improve access. A lot of that funding will also go towards increasing our rail funding which is needed to upgrade services on the line to Paraparaumu. Of course $15 million has already been allocated for the construction of a median barrier on Centennial Highway. I want to thank the many people but especially the communities who have advocated strongly to their MPs and all key stakeholders—for example Ministers and Transit New Zealand—to ensure that their priorities are being met. We know there is still more to do. 
More important though is the fact that families are better off. Many families in Porirua and Mana are taking advantage of the Working for Families package. I am absolutely thrilled about that assistance for our local families. Many many people in the area have made use of the free phone in terms of ringing up and claiming eligibility for the financial assistance that supports them to participate more in the life of the community and especially in the school life of their children. 
During the last 5 years Dr Cullen has buried the myth that a Labour Minister of Finance and a Labour Government could not manage the economy responsibly. One year’s good management could be just good luck but 5 years of prudent responsible fiscal management is a record that any Minister of Finance can be proud of and it reflects much more than just good luck. The famous golfer Gary Player once said: “The more I practise the luckier I get.” Well Dr Cullen has shown through his Budget Policy Statement that practice and responsible fiscal management have made the difference with New Zealand’s economy. I hope Dr Cullen’s golf scores are improving at the same rate! 
Under Labour New Zealand is moving ahead. Our Budget Policy Statement will continue to demonstrate our continuing commitment to an economy and a society that are fair and innovative inclusive and creative with a capable Government that is proud of Kiwis. Under the leadership of Helen Clark and Michael Cullen we will continue to provide those policies and projects and work towards long-term goals of fiscal stability and financial security for all New Zealanders.