Auchinvole Chris: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeAuchinvole Chris: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 05 June 2013. Volume:690;Page:10750. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National): It is interesting the way the sequence goes but we seem to have just had a selection of speeches one after the other commending this Budget to Parliament. I rise to speak in favour of the Appropriation (2013/14 Estimates) Bill. I would like to congratulate my colleagues who have spoken on this Budget before me and my equally esteemed colleagues who are to speak on it shortly. Although I know we all share the same level of excitement and enthusiasm my own take on it is that this is a responsible finely tuned Budget for what are in my opinion post-ideological times.Let us think back to what we came through. The age of growing the Public Service to grow the economy is over. In fact it has been over for quite some time. As a nation we may be small in numbers but we are productive and have proven ourselves as a nation to be highly capable of achieving great things with the materials that we have. This recognises the quintessential essence of fundamental New Zealand values. Unfortunately previous Governments have not always recognised this and kept it in mind. Under the previous Labour Government the Public Service ballooned but the services to the public did not improve. Nor did Labour policies prepare us for the impending global financial crisis. Rather than saving for a rainy day one could say that the money was spent with what could be described as reckless disregard knowing that by the time the coin—or the lack thereof—dropped they would be out of office and indeed in one notable case out of the country.Labour’s time in office has reminded us of one very simple fact: dogma does not pay bills. Dogma does not pay bills. When this Government came into office it inherited a set of Government books that had debts running to more than 60 percent of GDP by 2020 and no prospect of Budget surpluses seemingly ever again. The Government has not and will not follow down that destructive road. We understand that a productive economy requires a fine balance of innovation and diversification and continuing to do what we have always done best but in a smarter fashion.In both the West Coast and Tasman regions this Government has invested in tourism initiatives such as three of the Prime Minister’s Cycle Trails while also ensuring that traditional industries including responsible mining—including responsible mining—can continue as well. These initiatives as well as those brought forward by local business groups who have seen the potential for future growth for the community by the community have led to a strong and growing belief across the region that we have turned into a positive stretch of road and that our future is indeed beginning to look bright. The National Government is building towards a stronger more stable economy that can again weather global storms and deliver opportunities higher incomes and more jobs for New Zealanders.Budget 2013 continues our work to build a brighter future for Kiwi families. Economic growth is the highest in 5 years almost the same as Australia and higher than almost every other developed country. Our economy is forecast to grow between 2 percent and 3 percent a year over the next 4 years. That is an enviable situation. Themuch-mentioned number of working-age New Zealanders crossing the Ditch has dropped so low that it seems to be conceivable that many of our recent graduates are simply crossing the ditch to create a time zone barrier between them and constant phone calls from their parents. It is said in relation to our Australian rivalry that jealousy is just love and hate at the same time. Well Australia may have hated seeing Richie McCaw lift the Webb Ellis Cup but it loves our sensible tax regime and more structurally sound regulatory environment.This National Government has created an environment in which business feels safe to invest and create. This is being evidenced mentioned recently by an increased corporate tax take of a considerable sum of money. There are 50000 more jobs than 2 years ago and the unemployment rate has fallen to 6.2 percent—the lowest in 3 years. This is combined with a wage growth of 22 percent. Mortgage rates have hit 50-year lows—the lowest since 1965.Innovation has been and will continue to be key to our continuing success. A feature of Budget 2013 is a $100 million a year for an internationally focused growth package providing extra research and development assistance to businesses additional funding for tourism and more resources for marketing New Zealand to international students. This growth package acknowledges New Zealand’s need to pay its way in the world through increased trade and investment which in turn creates jobs and opportunities for New Zealanders. It is all about increasing productivity. Within the package science and innovation funding has increased by $50 million a year. This takes the Government’s annual investment in research and development to $1.36 billion in 2013-14 which is the highest ever. That is something we can all be extremely proud of.Innovation though must not be seen as the place of only the economy. The need for public services to innovate is there also. Over the next 4 years we will invest $1.6 billion in new initiatives to meet cost pressures and population growth. We are investing in more support for aged and dementia care more elective operations better heart and diabetes care and more preventative screening. The Government is helping more New Zealanders get the skills they need to build successful careers and fulfil their potential. We are lifting student achievement in all levels of the education system.Budget 2013 is focused on delivering better public services within tight financial constraints but not at the expense of those in need. This I am very proud to say is a major feature of this Government. Following work by the Ministerial Committee on Poverty Budget 2013 confirms important initiatives to support low-income families. These include $100 million over 3 years to insulate 46000 more homes for low-income families more than $21 million over the next 4 years to reduce rheumatic fever in children and an extra $1.5 million for budgeting services in 2013-14 in addition to the $8.9 million already provided in 2012-13. There will be a whiteware procurement programme to help beneficiaries buy new appliances under warranty using Ministry of Social Development repayable grants. The Government is investigating in partnership with NGOs and financial institutions to support the provision of low or no interest loans for low-income borrowers.We have heard a lot recently in debates on a trial on Housing New Zealand Corporation properties of the Housing Warrant of Fitness programme for rental housing. Probably one of the major features of this Budget was in housing—again something that there is a great need for and it is penetrating right through the Budget programme.These projects in Budget 2013 as a whole will ensure that this exciting and enthusiastic nation continues to have a future that is worth being excited about—a future that is worth being excited about; a future not based on arcane ideology not based on scare tactics not based on a tired or divisive dogma but based rather onworking together as communities to ensure that we can all weather any storm that comes our way. I believe Budget 2013 will help achieve this and I commend it to the House.