Fairbrother Russell: Budget Debate 
Fairbrother Russell: Budget Debate 
[Volume:631;Page:3403] 
RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER (Labour) 
: 
 I asked for a speaking slot in this Budget debate because I wanted to speak about the Gateway programme which will receive $8.1 million over the next 4 years. As I listened to the debate I noticed that nobody picked up on that and bothered to address it. The Gateway programme is an important one and it should not be overlooked. But having listened to the last speaker I am forced to move away from my speech notes on the Gateway programme in order to answer his questions as to who does not want a tax cut. He should look to his own caucus. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: I don’t. 
RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER 
: I tell the member not to worry about that. 
I had sent to me today by a bemused and somewhat interested person in Napier a misery column written for Mr Chris Tremain. This is what he says about the Budget: “We are an amazing country”—well we agree with that; we are an amazing country—“and our education system produces some of the best talent in the world.” Too right it does! There have been 7 years of a good Labour Government and we have produced some of the best talent in the world. 
He does not want a tax cut. He wants more money in education. Hear hear! No wonder he has not taken a call in this debate because he would have to stand apart from those other confused individuals on the other side of the Chamber. He would have to admit to Mr Allan Peachey his teacher in education that his previous philosophies of slash-and-burn education will not work because “our education system produces some of the best talent in the world.” Hear hear! There have been 7 years of a Labour Government and the interim member for Napier Mr Chris Tremain a National Party caucus member says that our education system produces some of the best talent in the world. 
But there is more. Under this Government he adds “I also believe that most Kiwis grow up with a strong work ethic generally wanting to improve their lot for themselves and their families.” So much for the trip to Bondi! Of course by now we are talking about 7 years of a Labour Government—half the life of a child who is growing up—and the member for Napier recognises that most Kiwis want to stay in this country and develop a good work ethic. They want to work hard for their future. 
No wonder the member has not stood up to speak in this debate because he would have to stand apart from those miseries among his caucus. What a lonely position the member for Napier must be in. That is perhaps why the talk around Napier is that this was a young man who promised much as a real estate agent standing for office and has delivered nothing—so much so in fact that I have had to increase my constituency work because constituents are discovering there is a difference between talk and delivery. 
But let us go on with what the member for Napier said: “The Government policy must continue to offer incentives to these people.” Well of course it does. The growth and innovation network the jobs training skills network more money into education—these are the incentives that the member for Napier recognises and celebrates. 
In answer to the last speaker I say that there was one member in his caucus who was too scared to speak in this debate—because one does not want to stand out against the rest of the caucus. That member failed to see the value of this Budget—the seventh Budget from a far-sighted Government that is spending money to correct the infrastructure that was run down over the years. I say to Mr Foss that we will provide a hearing aid for the hard of hearing. 
So after receiving this misery column which—quite grudgingly I may say—has to allow that in the last 7 years this Government has done well for education and has done well for young people growing up I thought I would go back to Mr Tremain’s speech of 22 March. Of course that speech is further proof as to why he will not come and speak in this debate. On 22 March he stated: “This tax depreciation legislation is good legislation”—this is Government legislation—“but we need more of this. So this tax legislation is long overdue but it is one part of the recipe needed to put the economy back on the path towards higher achievement. We need investment in transmission and energy.” What do we have in the Budget? We have investment in the infrastructure for transmission and energy. We have a very competent Minister of Energy who has long-term plans and there will be no power cuts this year. 
What is Mr Tremain’s next item? It is “Transport infrastructure. We need investment in transport infrastructure.” What do we have here? If those members do not understand the figures they should have picked up the  
New Zealand Herald 
 on the day after the Budget was announced. The headline on the front page was: “Roads roads roads”. Do those members understand that? “Roads roads roads”—there is no more to the headline. So Mr Tremain refuses to come down to the Chamber tonight because two of the four items on his wish list have been delivered on. Transmission and energy—yes. Infrastructure and transport investment—yes. 
What else did he say? There were four things on his list. The third one is: “We need to invest in research and development.” Have we invested in research and development? There has been a tremendous investment in research and development in this Budget. Of course that is what we need. That means that Mr Tremain could not come down here to argue against this Budget. We have delivered three out of four of his wishes. We are delivering transmission and energy investment transport infrastructure and research and development. Yes it is a strong Labour electorate and Mr Tremain knows how to pull his vote. There was an intervention by the Exclusive Brethren at one point to the tune of $1.2 million during the election but that electorate will revert to Labour because Mr Tremain knows it is a Labour electorate and he is speaking about Labour values. 
Mr Tremain’s fourth item stated: “We need employment flexibility.” Well what that tells us is that he approves of the change from the Employment Contracts Act to our Employment Relations Act because he said that we need a probationary period. But we have a probationary period in the Employment Relations Act. 
Mr Tremain wants more things and from this Budget and this Government he gets them—transport spending infrastructure on energy and transmission research and development and employment flexibility. They are all the things he said he wanted. 
Then he praised the Government’s education policy. Boy I bet his benchmate Mr Peachey has not had a discussion with him about education recently. If this is proof that we can slash-and-burn education and get good scholars it is not proving the case very well is it? 
Craig Foss 
: Who wrote this? 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Chris Tremain wrote this speech. 
RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER 
: Yes he wrote this speech because he knows Napier is good Labour territory. He is trembling in his boots as the next election looms. He will have to come to my place this time and concede defeat. He will be offered a beer when he comes around rather than the stunned silence I received when I went to his patch to tell him he had won the seat temporarily but that I would look after that seat. I will be back and I think he knows that. 
Mind you I have to say I am worried. I was listening to the radio today and I heard John Carter— 
Darren Hughes 
: Who? 
RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER 
: I tell the member that it was John Carter. [ 
Interruption 
] Oh no John Carter is still awake. He and I spent some time in Nairobi. Then when I tried to patch up the damage with the  
Sunday Star-Times 
 I asked the Prime Minister to save me. She said I was doing OK—I might be OK—and now John Carter has come down to the Chamber and said: “That Russell Fairbrother is a pretty good bloke.” Well the ninth floor rose even higher and the steam came out from the gunwales because I had been told when I was first elected: “Look at those Nats. Do not get too friendly with them.” When I first walked into the House I thought: “That won’t be too hard to do.” then I met one or two of them. I met John Carter. He buys a good whisky he pours a good wine he tells a very good story—and some of the members opposite would not want to hear those stories—and I thought he was a good chap too. But I thought that what happened in Nairobi stayed in Nairobi and that he would not come down to the House and shaft me as he has with that comment. I hope John is listening. He owes me one but I will be back next term for it. 
So I say to the writer of the  
Sunday Star-Times 
 article that if she wants to make predictions she should get her authorities right. I am told that the man who was said to be the Beehive source has not worked in the Prime Minister’s office since Mike Moore’s day. Mike who? “Ten-week Mike Moore”—he has not been seen around this place since then I hear and if the National Party wants to make that the basis of its arguments I say “Bring it on!”. I am ready for it because I cannot wait for the next election. I am having trouble handling the constituency work in Napier because of the lack of success of the member for Napier. 
Craig Foss 
: You haven’t got an office. 
RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER 
: I could give members details of that work now if I could have another 5-minute call. If Mr Foss wants to give me 5 minutes of his time I will go into what the work from Napier entails. 
I have had a good response to this Budget from Napier. I have heard self-employed people saying that this is the Budget they have been looking for—a Budget that is building infrastructure making investment and inspiring confidence in this country. It is the Budget they have been waiting for. People in Nairobi said to me that I would have seen the effect of a Don Brash Government. If we had 10 years of a Don Brash Government we would have roads like the roads in Nairobi. They have not seen a tarseal machine for 25 years in that country because the infrastructure has been run down. Children in Nairobi cannot go to school and cannot go to hospital because of the user-pays system. That is what we get with tax cuts—a neglect for infrastructure. 
John Carter will confirm that fact for National members. He rode on those roads and he knows what infrastructure neglect does. He knows that this is a good Budget. He knows that I am a good chap because I am in a very good party and I will be here after the next election and urging National members to defect because the party-hopping bill will allow them to change at the time of the next election. 
This Budget is a very good Budget. It is a Budget about investment and about what we are as New Zealanders and it is a Budget for the young for the old and for our families. It is a very good Budget from a very good Government.