Wong Pansy: Budget Debate 
Wong Pansy: Budget Debate 
[Volume:663;Page:11442] 
Hon PANSY WONG (Minister for Ethnic Affairs) 
: 
 This morning I was at the Wellington Fathers’ Breakfast with 280 fathers to celebrate families and the important role of fathers. I went there as the Minister of Women’s Affairs to show that women support men and vice versa and that families are important. This was what the Minister of Finance had in mind when he constructed the 2010 Budget—a Budget for the family and for future generations. I say well done and congratulations to the Minister of Finance the Hon Bill English on delivering a Budget for the many not for the few. 
This is a Budget that rewards hard work. Seventy-three percent of income earners will face an income tax rate of 17.5 percent or less. Two-thirds of the tax cuts in the Budget apply to people on incomes below $48000 a year. Compensation will be provided to superannuitants and to Working for Families recipients to compensate them for the 2.02 percent increase to GST. This is a Budget that strengthens our economy with $321 million being invested over 4 years in research innovation and commercialisation. Investment in ultra-fast broadband KiwiRail and transport infrastructure will continue. 
I ask what the response to this well-thought-out Budget has been from the Labour Opposition. The answer is the Hon Pete Hodgson. He is on a daily mission on taxpayer-funded time to apparently google our Prime Minister a self-made successful Prime Minister who was brought up by a solo mother in a State house. He is a self-made successful man who gave up his overseas business to come back to New Zealand because he wanted to ensure that the younger generation of New Zealanders would have the same opportunity. 
So if the answer from the Labour Opposition to the National-led Government’s Budget is the Hon Pete Hodgson the question beckons as to who else can lead a debate. Some people may have believed the Hon David Cunliffe who believes that he himself is the most competent member of the Labour bench to be the answer for Labour. However today when he asked a question he showed himself up. He made an assumption about the tax calculator which was set up to help individuals to check out what their net income position would be after the tax cut. He said that inflation would have to be factored into that tax calculator but he absolutely refused to accept that New Zealanders may earn more or that competition may bring prices down. So here is a one-eyed Labour finance spokesperson. 
I ask who else there is. Some may ask what happened to the invisible Phil Goff the Labour leader and the Leader of the Opposition. Well most New Zealanders may have forgotten by now that a week before the real Budget the Hon Phil Goff delivered an alternative budget. In light of the Labour alternative he delivered we asked whether he would reverse the tax cut. The answer he gave was “maybe”. We asked whether he would reverse the GST increase. The answer apparently was “maybe”. We asked whether he would exempt “healthy food” from the GST regime. The answer was “maybe”. Well maybe the Hon Phil Goff will be the Leader of the Opposition by election time next year. Who knows? 
New Zealanders breathed a sigh of relief that our Prime Minister backs the Minister of Finance in the delivery of a Budget that contains no “maybes” and lays out a clear path for a brighter future for our country. Everyone in the town hall this morning was very impressed by the five speakers including our Prime Minister. I will give a snapshot of one of the incidents that the Prime Minister related to the 280 fathers there in order to show his style of being a father. He talked about turning down a photo opportunity to open a baseball match that his son was competing in because he said the day belonged to Max his son. Our Prime Minister is happy and content to sit on the side watching and cheering as a father rather than to be there as Prime Minister. He is backing his son and he is not backing just his own children; he is backing the younger generation of New Zealand. 
We all know individual well-being— 
Sue Moroney 
: What a hero! I do that every weekend. 
Hon PANSY WONG 
: It is quite interesting that every time we talk about our popular Prime Minister it upsets Labour members so much. I ask them to get over it. He happens to be a successful generous man and to have a sunny personality. It is fantastic that he is the leader of our country. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: I can’t hear you Pansy! Speak up Pansy—I can’t hear you! 
Hon PANSY WONG 
: The Hon Clayton Cosgrove has so little to say when he faces up to our capable Minister of Police the Hon Judith Collins. Next time that member might want to speak up when he asks a proper question to our Minister of Police. 
We know that individual well-being is enhanced when people are surrounded by strong families. Cohesive communities are also enhanced by strong families. Strong families and communities lead to a harmonious and peaceful society. We need to support our families. Our families in New Zealand care for each other. I want to acknowledge that some of our families in the community face more challenges than others and therefore as the Associate Minister for Disability Issues I acknowledge the courage and the spirit of self-reliance shown by members of our disabled communities and their families. The motto of our disabled community is “Nothing about us without us”. I was so proud to take part in New Zealand Sign Language Week which was organised by the National Foundation for the Deaf. It was also humbling to attend the fund-raising appeal of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind which is raising money for a digital talking library. 
One of the wishes of disabled people is to feel included and respected and to have opportunities to work. This Budget will deliver that. It provides $3 million for a public awareness campaign to change attitudes and behaviours that limit the opportunities for our disabled people. The Budget provides $1.5 million to help promote design standards that will make homes accessible for a person’s lifetime. We have also set aside $93 million for disability services over the next 4 years in the health services area and in the community support services area in order to support independent living. We have set aside $2.7 million for respite care. 
Society is judged by the way it looks after the disadvantaged and this National-led Government makes us all feel proud of having a society that watches out for its disabled community.