Carter David: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
Carter David: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:632;Page:3720] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (National) 
: 
 We know that a Government is in trouble when it brings a has-been like Paul Swain down to the Chamber to make a Budget speech. The supplementary estimates debate is one of the most important debates we have in the year and along came Paul Swain. He did not manage to struggle through a 10-minute speech; all the man could manage was a 5-minute contribution. We know that the Government is in trouble. 
However to be fair to Paul Swain it was my understanding that that speaking slot was meant to be taken by the Hon Jim Anderton. That was what was determined at the Business Committee. But Mr Anderton who is part of the Progressive party—in fact he is the only part of the Progressive party—was unable to come to the Chamber to make his contribution to the supplementary estimates debate because he knows there is nothing he can say his party achieved in that Budget. Mr Anderton is also a has-been the Progressive party is a has-been and nothing in the “Bondi Budget” of 2006 can be attributed to anything that Mr Anderton and his political party have been able to achieve. 
I am delighted to take part in this debate because it is a fascinating debate in which the Government has the opportunity to defend the “Bondi Budget”. For me what has really been interesting in this debate is the fact that none of the Labour Ministers who have come to make a contribution have actually spent any time at all talking about the good things in the “Bondi Budget”. 
We had a really interesting contribution from that up-and-coming star of the Labour Party the heir apparent Minister of Finance the Hon Trevor Mallard. One would have thought after his public statements of the last few days that if he does want to be the next Minister of Finance he would have taken the opportunity to come to the Chamber tonight to make a serious contribution in order to display to the listeners of New Zealand and to Parliament that he actually understands something about finance. But no he came to the Chamber and he managed to display his lack of knowledge of even who the 121 members of Parliament in this House are. I heard Mr Mallard say he did not know who Jo Goodhew was who Jacqui Dean was or who Chester Borrows was. 
Hon Pete Hodgson 
: Well give us a hand. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: The Minister of Health is interjecting as well now. Maybe he does not know so I will take this opportunity to tell him who those three members are. They are part of the up-and-coming National Party team that will be in Government after 2008. 
For the information of Mr Hodgson Chester Borrows is now the member of Parliament for Whanganui because he beat Jill Pettis. Jo Goodhew is the member of Parliament for Aoraki because she beat the previous safely ensconced Labour Minister Jim Sutton. Jacqui Dean of course is now the member of Parliament for Otago because she managed to take that seat from the Labour member David Parker. Eric Roy is in the House tonight. He managed to take yet another seat from the Labour Party—the seat of Invercargill. So those are just a few of the talented people in the National Party who are lining up to be part of the next National Government as soon as the stench of decay reaches the stage where the Labour Government is well and truly finished. 
In this debate on the supplementary estimates to Budget 2006 I heard the most incredible comment from the Minister of Finance himself. He came into the House this afternoon and displayed to anybody who was listening to his contribution that he is a man under extreme pressure. He is a man who now needs urgent treatment for his anger management. But to be fair to Michael Cullen he is under tremendous pressure because Helen Clark has put him on the Labour Party dog-tucker list as well. 
Michael Cullen has now consecutively presented two disastrous Budgets for the Labour Government. The first one was Budget 2005. 
Anne Tolley 
: Chewing gum. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: Anne Tolley is so right—it became known throughout New Zealand as the “chewing gum Budget”. Then Dr Cullen had the chance to do a little better this year. He was sitting on an $8 billion - plus surplus. He could have actually done something to make it a Budget to remember but instead it has been labelled the “Bondi Budget”. It followed a week after Peter Costello presented the Australian Budget which delivered to Australians $45 billion worth of tax cuts and made Australia a very attractive place for talented young New Zealanders to go and work. So Dr Cullen is under pressure. He has given two disastrous Budgets one after another. It is not surprising that he has joined the dog-tucker list that Helen Clark has to deal with over the next few months. 
Dr Cullen is in good company. He joins people like Jill Pettis who has been here for quite a number of years. She is not known by many New Zealanders because her list of achievements would not take long to complete. But Helen Clark knows her as someone who lost the good safe Labour seat of Whanganui—it had been held by the Labour Party for election after election. It is now held by my colleague Chester Borrows because Jill Pettis failed to perform. 
Next on that list are people like Dianne Yates. She is looking forward to her retirement—well whether or not she is looking forward to it Helen Clark will tell Dianne Yates very shortly that she is part of the renewal process because she lost her safe Labour seat in Hamilton. Then there is my old sparring partner Jim Sutton. He was the Minister of Agriculture in the last Government. He managed to make sure he turned off every farmer in New Zealand with his arrogance and disinterest in the issues that face New Zealand farmers. We know that he has been offered— 
Anne Tolley 
: He lost his seat. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: To find out when that seat was last held by the National Party we would have to go right back to a by-election held after the death of Sir Basil Arthur when Maurice McTigue held it. That would be the last time the National Party held effectively the seat of Timaru. That safe Labour seat was lost to Jo Goodhew and she is doing a tremendous job as its member. 
Those names are just part of Labour dog-tucker list which Helen Clark is working on. Then there is Russell Fairbrother or Fairweather— 
Anne Tolley 
: Fairfax? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: No not Fairfax but Fair-something. He is going too. Then there is Dover Samuels and of course there is the man who spoke first in this debate—Michael Cullen. He is on his way out. The Government faces some real issues over the next while because there is a real stench of decay amongst its members. If the Government lasts until 2008 I will be very very surprised. 
But whenever the thing finally falls to bits—and it might be when Winston Peters departs to replace Jonathan Hunt in London which I suspect will be any time soon— 
R Doug Woolerton 
: Ha ha! 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: Doug Woolerton knows; he is a goner. Doug Woolerton is a goner. He is looking forward to picking up the pension very very shortly because New Zealand First— 
R Doug Woolerton 
: I’m a survivor mate. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: Well Winston Peters was a survivor. He said he would never pick up the baubles of power—until he was offered the ministerial car the ministerial salary and the house. That is what he took. 
I conclude by repeating the comments made by the Prime Minister when interviewed on  
Breakfast  
on TV. Paul Henry asked her about the big snow that hit the South Island the other day. She said: “There’s certainly a lot of snow.” and: “I’m very pleased to see the snow.” Paul Henry said incredulously: “What about the farmers? Aren’t you concerned?”. The Prime Minister responded: “Well I love skiing so it’s good to see they’re getting off to a great start with the ski season.” That shows the arrogance of the Prime Minister. While those people without electricity suffered day after day she was more interested in being able to do a bit of skiing in the House adjournment.