Joyce Steven: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeJoyce Steven: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 01 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11559. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development): The 2016 Budget of Bill English is a truly excellent Budget. How do we know that? We know that because of the way the Opposition has reacted to the Budget. Instead of challenging the Budget instead of actually going through the Budget instead of questioning the Budget it has decided to do a diversion—a little diversion in the political environment. In late-breaking “stop the presses” political news of the last 24 hours Labour and the Greens have announced that they are going to campaign against the National Government at the next election. That is the news—they have decided that they are going to campaign against the Government at the next election. That is the news. They are not going to share policy they are not going to have any arrangements around seats there will be no commitment afterwards—no commitment afterwards—they are just going to campaign against the Government.Do not take it from me. They went on the television this morning to explain what they were about with this big announcement yesterday. Mr Paul Henry said to them “So nothing has changed at all—nothing changes at all?” and Andrew Little said: “No. Actually what the agreement does is confirm what’s been happening for the last few months.” Metiria Turei said: “The first step is telling people that we’re going to work together.” Mr Henry said “But you must have had a discussion. You must have worked together to now.” and Metiria said: “We’ve actually been working together for the last 18 months but today we’re announcing we’re working together.” So there you have it: the Labour Party and the Green Party have announced that they are going to campaign at the next election against the Government.The Labour Party has given the Greens a rose—it has. Do not just take it from me: they literally tweeted love hearts to each other on their Twitter accounts. They tweeted love hearts to each other on their Twitter accounts. Labour has given the Greens a rose which makes Winston Naz. It does make Winston Naz. I feel a bit for Naz. I feel a bit for Naz.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is a longstanding requirement in this House that you cannot refer to someone by their first name and in his case he should put “Sir” in front of it.Mr SPEAKER: I want to make a comment. [Interruption] Order! There have been a number of times in the last 2 days where Ministers particularly have referred to members by their Christian names only. It is unacceptable. It is against the Standing Orders. Members will be addressed by their Christian name and surname or as Mr or Ms and by their surnames only. We cannot have the informality of speaking to members across the House using their Christian names alone.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Thank you Mr Speaker. Therefore that makes the Rt Hon Winston Peters Naz and that is sad for Winston Peters but probably sadder for Naz to be fair. So there you have it—the announcement that wasn’t.Except there was one interesting thing about this nonsense. Despite the fact that there was nothing new there was one small thing that was new. Despite the fact that those members said all bets are off after the election and there is no deal after election day they felt obliged to say that Grant Robertson would be the finance Minister if they won. Who was feeling insecure? Who required his leader to go out and speak for him because he was feeling a bit insecure? What we know is that this discussion occurred last Thursday night. It occurred last Thursday night. The two of them Andrew Little and Grant Robertson were sitting having a beer—on YouTube as it happens. They were sitting having a beer on YouTube. Mr Little said to Grant “I’m going to announce a deal with the Green Party.” and Grant said “Well that’s OK although—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have just mentioned to the House that we cannot have the informality of referring to members simply by their Christian names.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Thank you Mr Speaker. And so Grant Robertson said to Andrew Little “I need to be announced as the finance guy as part of this deal.” while drinking his unfinishable beer that he had on the YouTube video—the beer that never finished the beer that just kept going and going. So anyway the only thing we know out of this deal is that Grant Robertson would be their finance guy because he was worried that he would not be.I worry about Julie Anne—what about Julie Anne Genter? What has happened to Julie Anne?Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Julie Anne Genter has been forgotten. She has been forgotten in this. She has become errant. She has been thrown under a bus by this Labour-Greens deal. Julie Anne Genter has been thrown under a bus by this deal which is ironic. It is ironic actually because she is in favour of public transport. But she was thrown under the bus by this deal.The whole show that we have seen in the last 24 hours is much less than it seems. It is The Bachelor but there is no happy ending for these guys. They are doing it because they cannot respond to Bill English’s Budget which is a strong Budget that invests in a growing economy that delivers results for New Zealanders and that invests in innovation health and public services. This is a strong Budget. The reaction from Labour and the Greens is absolutely worse than pitiful. It is a complete diversion. It is an announcement about nothing.