Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: Budget Debate 
Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: Budget Debate 
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PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 Malo le soifua lau afioga Mr Assistant Speaker Robertson. I just greeted you in my native tongue—Samoan. It is Samoan Language Week so I greet you in Samoan. 
Before I talk about Budget 2011 I want to touch on an incident that occurred in my electorate of Maungakiekie. It was a gas explosion on a worksite in Onehunga where I reside and work. This tragic event occurred last Saturday morning at approximately 7.30 and sadly a Watercare worker Philomen Gulland passed away. She was tragically killed and other workers were injured including Ian Winson an engineer with Watercare Services who was seriously injured. Certainly our prayers and hearts go out to the families of those who have been affected by this tragedy. 
As we speak I have reports from the site that tests are continuing in terms of gas deposits. Those involved are looking forward to proceeding with the important infrastructure work that is being conducted in my electorate. I spent some time at the site over the weekend and I thank Steve Lakin and Murray Binning the fire chiefs who were in charge of the situation; George Fraser the police superintendent in charge; and representatives from HEB Construction as well as Watercare Services who were extremely helpful in giving the local representatives myself and others including the Mayor of Auckland the right information in order that we could communicate with our constituents. A very good job was done by our emergency services. 
Budget 2011 was about building our future. It was about building prosperity in this country which suffered in the 9 long years of the previous Labour Government. It is about building jobs and it is about building a brighter future. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Why is unemployment going up? 
PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: “How does this happen?” Mr Cunliffe asks. Well it is about returning the economy to surplus by 2015 and that is a year sooner than forecast last December. The reason we are returning to surplus earlier is the fiscal prudence that this National Government has demonstrated over the last 2½ years. 
But the Budget is not all about rosy forecasts. It is as the honourable Minister Gerry Brownlee alluded to about reconstructing our second-largest city. The Government is committed to spending $5.5 billion as well as $3 billion in ACC funding and Earthquake Commission funding to reconstruct our schools and our infrastructure and to provide housing and trades training for the people of Christchurch. This Budget also signals an investment in front-line public services. We have not spared the expense on health and education. But this Budget is also about looking at the programmes that the previous Labour Government put in place and looking at how we can better streamline KiwiSaver how we can trim Working for Families and how we can make student loans more workable and sustainable in the long run in order to reduce the need for the Government to borrow. 
As the Prime Minister alluded to earlier this afternoon in question time this Budget is also about providing investment opportunities for mum and dad investors by extending the mixed-ownership model to four State-owned energy companies as well as extending the programme that has already been put in place for Air New Zealand. In the health area—and obviously the health portfolio has been well looked after by the Hon Tony Ryall—we are delivering an extra $2.2 billion to public health services. Although we are balancing the books and reducing Government debt we are committed to providing the health services that New Zealanders demand and expect. Those services will be given to New Zealanders in the next few years. 
What are the programmes that have been extended? Maternity initiatives have received $54.5 million to improve the safety and the quality of maternity care in this country. That is a welcome initiative. Certainly having experienced fatherhood recently I know that the care and the expense that is taken in our hospitals is second to none when compared with the services provided around the world. 
We have provided $80 million to widen access to medicines and $68 million for more elective surgery. In Greenlane in my electorate the Minister of Health has opened more elective surgery facilities that will cater for 4000 extra operations in the years to come. Funding for disability support services has been increased by $130 million and we will continue the programme that was set out by the last Labour Government in terms of general practitioner visit subsidies for the elderly and children. We are certainly proud to continue with that. 
We know that education is the cornerstone for economic growth long term and we know it is the cornerstone we must provide for our children in the coming years. We know that early childhood education is important and we have provided $1.4 billion extra in operating capital funding for education. Specifically and importantly we are focusing on those with high needs. So $550 million will be provided to increase participation rates for Maori and Pasifika families as well as low-income families. That is to be applauded. 
I have visited a number of early childhood centres not just in my electorate but across the country and certainly in South Auckland. They are demanding that the Government respond to the needs of those communities. Certainly one of the best things we can do for low-income communities and high-needs communities is to provide early childhood education services that will give children the best start to life. 
We have also provided for infrastructure spend which will provide the networks the infrastructure—the pipes if you like—for our future learning. As we indicated 2 weeks ago we are committed to the ultra-fast broadband roll-out not just in our cities but across our regional and rural areas. That will be a $1.5 billion investment over time. If Labour was in power it certainly would not commit to this investment and it certainly would not have a plan to bring about this change in a convenient and appropriate way. 
We are also providing infrastructure for KiwiRail. We know that KiwiRail was a mess when it was first bought but we are continuing our 10-year turn-round plan and that will bring about some change to KiwiRail bring some business rigour to its operations and will hopefully in 10 years bring about some commercial gain and some return on the investment we are putting in. 
Finally I tell members that we are looking forward to better public services and $980 million of savings over 3 years. If members do not believe me they should listen to the comments of Age Concern which says that Minister Ryall is committed to protecting and growing our public health services and it welcomes that assurance. 
The feedback on this Budget in my electorate of Maungakiekie has been hugely positive. People welcome the Budget. They welcome the Government’s prudence in terms of its fiscal approach and they certainly welcome the Government’s investment in services such as health education and infrastructure. This Budget has been well received in New Zealand. Thank you.