Hughes Darren: Budget Debate 
Hughes Darren: Budget Debate 
[Volume:608;Page:5929] 
DARREN HUGHES (NZ Labour—Otaki) 
: 
 I rise in support of the 2003 Budget delivered by the Hon Dr Michael Cullen in the House last Thursday. I do so with a real sense of pride in the work this Government is doing and the programme that this Government has presented to the country for all the people of this country. I believe that there is good reason for the House to congratulate Michael Cullen on his stewardship—his fourth Budget out of probably the dozen he will deliver in this Chamber. Mr Peter Brown the deputy leader of New Zealand First thought we had some big plan to spend lots of money next year. Well we have plans to spend money and raise money in this country for the next 16 years of this 20-year Labour Government. When Opposition members see what is still to come they should be frightened about the effect this Budget will have in terms of the confidence of the people in this Government. 
I think the Government was able to come to the House with a sense of pride and purpose in the Budget that was presented. New Labour members of Parliament who joined the Government in its second term—Lynne Pillay from Waitakere David Parker from Otago Russell Fairbrother from Napier Dave Hereora Dr Ashraf Choudhary and myself—joined a team that has very much a good purpose for our country. It has been very much an exciting time for us to see what the Budget contained and to know that the country is moving forward in a steady firm logical and compassionate way. That was made very clear as more of the information about the Budget has come out. 
I would also like to congratulate colleagues who have had promotions in recent times—particularly my friend Rick Barker who is moving into Cabinet roles—and also other colleagues who are stepping up into the ministry. It shows that there is a depth of talent in this Government that cannot be matched by Opposition parties. I believe that when our team gets into full swing the Opposition will be even more gobsmacked than it has been in the last 4 years. It is a coalition Government and the Progressive party has played a huge role in the development of this Budget. I acknowledge it and also our colleagues in the confidence and supply arrangement we have with United Future. It always amazes me how quick Opposition parties are to get up and attack United Future. It is a small and independent party but it has some influence in this Government and in this House. National and New Zealand First climb over one another to attack United Future simply because it is a relevant party in this Parliament. 
When one looks at the information in the Budget statistics particularly around economics there is much to be heartened by. A 4.4 percent growth from a Labour-led Government is something that Opposition members at the beginning of our term in office said was absolutely impossible. The sky was going to fall in when Labour took control of the economy. But what we have seen is history repeating itself. Labour Governments have been fantastic stewards of our economy and this Budget is proof of that. We will deliver growth in the economy that is higher than the OECD average this year next year and the year after. That is something that members of the House should celebrate. We have been consistently above that average. Inflation is heading down to below 2 percent for 2004-2005 so the monetary policy of the Government is very strong. 
There are other economic statistics in the Budget that have not received much attention. I refer members to the debt figures. Although the Budget has been in surplus now since 1994 people often forget that the country carries a significant amount of debt that future generations will have to pay off. When this Government took office in 1999 36.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) was gross debt. Today that figure stands at 27.2 percent. That is quite a large drop-off—almost 10 percent of our gross debt. When one looks at our net debt figures when we became the Government replacing the National administration 21 percent—nearly 22 percent of GDP—was the value of net debt. That is now down to 14 percent. 
Hon George Hawkins 
: That’s pretty good. 
DARREN HUGHES 
: As Mr Hawkins says 14 percent is pretty good going. What it shows is that not only are we governing for today we are also governing for the future by making sure that future Governments are not shackled by lots of debt. 
In my electorate of Otaki which stretches from Paraparaumu on the Kapiti coast through to the Horowhenua just south of Palmerston North there is much to be excited about in terms of what is happening in our area. The Budget reinforces the positive work that is being done. I am working very closely with the member for Mana Winnie Laban who spoke previously in the debate to ensure that we get the kind of growth and jobs we need to lift living standards for all the people who live in our area. 
On the health side of the equation construction has begun on a new health facility in Kapiti that fits in with the district health board’s redevelopment of services. In Horowhenua we are working hard to get Government funding for a new health facility to sort out the health issues there as well. On transport Winnie Laban and I are fighting very hard and lobbying Transit New Zealand to upgrade the priority of McKays Crossing—which as members will know is about 40 minutes north of Wellington City and where a railway track goes through the middle of State Highway 1. Every time a train goes through and the barrier is lowered traffic builds up and in peak times never recovers. It is a ridiculous— 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I blame Richard Prebble for that. 
DARREN HUGHES 
: Richard Prebble got rid of a lot of those kinds of things when he was Minister of Transport but he did forget McKays Crossing. Under Paul Swain’s visionary leadership I am sure we will see that occur. It will open up the coast which is a very popular place with people from Wellington. 
Mention has been made of the Government’s investment in skills training which is a very important thing not only when people are in the schooling system but also when they are in the workforce. How we match up the pool of people who are unemployed to make sure they have skills that match the job vacancies in the economy is a real challenge for the Government. We have to put a lot of effort into that. Sure while people are at school we need to make sure that they have competencies in things like reading and writing information and communications technology but when they have left the formal structure of schooling and are out there in the workforce we need to make sure that they are continually upskilling. That will be a big challenge but through programmes like the Gateway scheme we are beginning to meet that challenge. As we begin to get people thinking about lifelong learning and making sure they have relevant and appropriate skills in the workplace we have set the goal of having 150000 people in industry training. 
I am pleased that the Gateway programme will now be rolled out to include more schools in my electorate—Horowhenua College Otaki College and Waiopehu College in Levin. Manawatu College in Foxton is already part of the scheme. That is a practical and positive way that the Government is getting on with the job of skills training. We have 48 modern apprenticeships and I am keen to see that number increase. 
Hon George Hawkins 
: What a good member! 
DARREN HUGHES 
: The member is working as hard as he can. Representing the oldest electorate in the country means that the needs of superannuitants and senior citizens— 
Lynne Pillay 
: The youngest MP in the House. 
DARREN HUGHES 
: The youngest member representing the oldest electorate—it is a funny old world. We are trying to make sure that we look after our senior citizens. We have done that with the cost of living adjustment to superannuation on 1 April that put about $3 million extra into my electorate. We are also moving on asset testing with a $200 million – plus policy to begin the removal of asset testing. What we are doing for future superannuitants is putting aside the surpluses from today to save for the generations of tomorrow. The current generation of retirees had lots of children. Many members of the House are members of that generation but the generation that is currently middle-aged did not have enough children. People of my generation who have to pay all the user-pays charges that other generations got for free now have to try to fund a large group of retirees from a small pool of people. 
That is why I support Dr Cullen’s New Zealand Superannuation Fund because it is putting aside money to ensure that we can meet the pension bill for the future. My parents should be able to retire at 65 years of age and they should have certainty in their retirement income. Unless Governments of today’s generation— 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: If it was up to me you could retire at 25. 
DARREN HUGHES 
: It is up to people of my generation to make sure that the money is there to ensure that. 
On the other side of the House we see a National Party in total disarray. In his Budget speech the Leader of the Opposition did not propose one single policy that was different from those in this Budget. There were no new ideas at all. There was no policy on the family in his speech on the Families Commission Bill the other day either or any alternatives to what National had done. The one last chance Bill English now has is to put all his eggs into the basket of trying to turn the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori issues into some sort of division in our country in order to get coverage so that he can try to lift his flagging profile. 
It is a great shame that a constitutionally significant document like the Treaty of Waitangi becomes something that members of Parliament parade around and try to denigrate rather than trying to use it as a document we can be proud of—as something that makes us New Zealanders and New Zealand a special country that is different from others. It is an enormously sad thing to me when I look at other countries around the world and see how proud they are of their history and their past. Day after day in this Chamber we are subjected to denigration of and political point-scoring against the indigenous people when surely we should all be trying to work together. 
Members on the other side of the House have proposed abolishing Maori seats that have been in Parliament since 1867. There would be no consultation or referendum or anything like that. They would do it purely for the votes. When it comes to the Supreme Court they want endless consultation and a referendum all for something they believe in yet on the other side of the equation they are prepared to disenfranchise Maori voters who have elected to go on the Maori roll. That is a sad and tragic thing. Then again members of the brat pack inherited the National Party at 47 percent of the vote when they arrived in 1990 and they have driven it down to 20 percent with their so-called political genius. They are a joke.