Williams Andrew: Budget Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Williams Andrew: Budget Debate 
[Sitting date: 29 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2632. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First) 
: 
 Yes please. I would like to table sources that the Parliamentary Library prepared today. It is a spreadsheet that details the Government’s operating balances for the years 2002-12 the last decade of surpluses and deficits prepared today by the Parliamentary Library. I would like to table that. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Is there anyone opposed to that course of action? Leave is not granted. 
ANDREW WILLIAMS 
: Well as I suspected. I suspected that that leave would not be granted because these are the facts. These are facts from our own Parliamentary Library sources. The National members on the other side like to live in fantasyland but these are the facts. They are the same facts that were printed in the  
Dominion Post 
 last week laying out the last 10 years of deficits and surpluses.  
Earlier tonight we heard one of the members Mr Tim Macindoe saying that we have shackled our economy and imperilled our children’s future as a result of the former Labour - New Zealand First coalition Government. He tried to make out that all the problems now were a result of the former Labour - New Zealand First Government. Well I would like to point out—and it was printed in the  
Dominion Post 
 and other papers in New Zealand—that during the period 2002 through to 2007 the surpluses were running in the order of $2.4 billion $4.3 billion $5.5 billion $7 billion $7 billion $5.86 billion and then $5.6 billion. There were surpluses of billions and billions of dollars right through until the following year after the National Government took office and suddenly we are into $3.8 billion deficit; the following year after that $6.3 billion deficit; the following year this latest year $18.4 billion deficit; and this year the Budget is an $8.4 billion deficit. The following year after that it is a $7.8 billion deficit. The year after that it is a $2 billion deficit. Finally in about 3 years’ time this shows that we come into a surplus of $197 million. It is so close to the margin of error it is not funny.  
After 7 years of huge surpluses we now have 6 years of huge deficits. So do not give us any of this business about how we have imperilled our children and about how we have left it in such a shocking situation. Basically for the next 2½ years we are seeing another $20 billion in deficits from this supposedly brilliant Government with its brilliant strategist the ex - Merrill Lynch world banker and world financier. We are seeing this economy continuing to go down the drain. This is what a lot of red looks like I say to the National members on the other side. Again this chart is out of the  
Dominion Post  
the other day. The black lines came through here as the surpluses. All the big reds funnily enough are from that side of the House—from the National Government side of the House.  
Further to that let us have a look at the record over the years. Have a look at this chart which shows average unemployment. This is the average unemployment by Government with Governments going right back to 1957—unemployment. It is very interesting because where there is red that is Labour Governments and sometimes New Zealand First - Labour Governments. Where there is blue that is National Tory Governments. Is it not interesting that the unemployment figures are always incredibly high when there is a National Government around? They are incredibly high—always high.  
Then when you look at the GDP growth by Government on this chart going right back to 1957 is it not interesting that again in the Labour Government periods and again when New Zealand First is with Labour we have very high GDP growth. But look at the low points—the blue low points—down here and look at the latest low point under the National Government. It is almost down to zero. Is it not incredible? With the two charts combined the unemployment under National goes right off the top of the chart while the GDP growth goes right off the bottom of the chart. These are the facts not the rhetoric—not the fantasy world on that side of the House. These are the facts and the sooner New Zealanders wake up to the fact that we are being led down a garden path by this Government the better.