Smith Nick: General Debate 
Smith Nick: General Debate 
[Volume:652;Page:1408] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment) 
: 
 I was hoping to hear an apology from the Leader of the Opposition for the appalling state in which he left the Department of Corrections which was clearly identified yesterday in the damning report from the Auditor-General. I heard on radio this morning Clayton Cosgrove demanding accountability from Judith Collins for the performance of the Department of Corrections between May 2007 and May 2008. Who was the Minister between May 2007 and May 2008 when New Zealanders were put at risk by the probation staff of the Department of Corrections not ensuring that even the minutiae of procedures were followed in respect of the management of dangerous prisoners? That Minister was Phil Goff and he owes the people of New Zealand an apology for his incompetent management of that department. I say to Clayton Cosgrove opposite that he should hold his leader to account for that awful state of affairs. 
Hon Bill English 
: He will! 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: My colleague Bill English says that he will. I think that day is coming. 
This Government is responding both sensibly and responsibly to the most challenging economic times our country has seen in at least 50 years. In just 3 months this Government has delivered a very substantive tax package for New Zealanders which will take effect on 1 April. This Government has delivered a substantive package worth over $500 million for small and medium sized businesses including provisions that will hold back on provisional tax and allow our small and medium sized businesses to find a path through this difficult period. This Government is helping families through this difficult period with the ReStart package which will provide well-targeted support to those families caught up at the hard edge of the recession. This Government also is committed to providing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure spend to ensure we provide jobs and necessary infrastructure through this difficult patch. 
The other part of what the Government is doing is very important regulatory reform. I look forward to introducing the resource management amendment legislation which frankly should have been passed during the good times. The previous Government received advice from across the board that the Resource Management Act was holding New Zealand back and my only disappointment is that key elements of infrastructure that should have been built were not built. Key parts of business like aquaculture had real opportunities that were squandered by the previous Labour Government and we are missing out on those opportunities. 
It is also in my view timely to review this Government’s first 100 days in office. We are keeping our word. That is something that Labour does not know about—keeping one’s word. We said that we would repeal the Electoral Finance Act and we have done it. We said we would bring in fresh start legislation and we have done it. We said we would bring in legislation to help support victims of crime and we have done it. We said we would bring in laws to provide for the latest DNA technology to be used in solving crime and we have done it. We said we would crack down on gangs and organised crime and that we would introduce new laws to tackle that and we have done it. We said we would introduce changes to the bail laws and we have done it. We said we would introduce a package of tax reductions and we have done it. 
I say that for just 3 months—of which a considerable period was the Christmas period—that is an outstanding record of a Government in its first 100 days. I say to members opposite to get with the programme because in times of recession the last thing this country needs is a moaning whingeing unambitious Opposition.