Wade-Brown CeliaCELIA WADE-BROWN (Green): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's my pleasure to take a call in this debate on the Appropriation (2023/24 Supplementary Estimates) Bill. What this bill does is look at the wash-up that needs to be done. The Supplementary Estimates reflects the activities of the Government through the period of the year that maybe weren't foreseen weren't part of the original Budget or in this case were the brutal changes caused by a change in Government.The change in Government treats the majority for the coalition of three rather distinct partners as a total mandate for some of the policies pushed by one or two minor parties—parties of the three-headed taniwha.Hon Shane Jones: Minor—minor? All-powerful—all-powerful. CELIA WADE-BROWN: Power and size are not always related. This is legislation that should be a usual and normal part of our parliamentary process but this set of figures is quite challenging as a change of Government has stopped some very good processes in their tracks—sometimes before their worth has been fully proven.Now the Greens supported the 2023-24 Budget. That doesn't mean we supported every line. We certainly don't support many of the changes brought in since November.I'd like to draw attention to a few of the specific changes to appropriations listed in Schedule 1 that deserve a bit more of a detailed investigation. Why was $1.5 million—Hon Shane Jones: Investigation? Where's Darleen?CELIA WADE-BROWN: —less spent on apprentice training when every party here apparently supports—Hon Scott Simpson: Set Darleen free!DEPUTY SPEAKER: No not a good idea on the right side of the House. We'll stick to the debate thank you.CELIA WADE-BROWN: —training and retraining in positive trades.What a tragedy that the Community Connect programme is $30 million underspent when those half-price fares were helping people choose public transport. Now that's an effective way to support low-income families and reduce congestion far more cheaply than tolled four-lane highways and tunnels ever can. Dropping Community Connect was a deliberate move by the new Government against public transport.Similarly planning infrastructure and activities for mode shift which encourages those who can change—it's not compulsory. There are certain members of the Opposition and the Government that I cannot imagine ever on a bicycle but they're not listening so it doesn't matter. That was underspent by $200 million and I'd like to have addressed at some point: if the spend on national pharmaceuticals was almost $500 million overspent in this Budget already is this coming year's Budget actually going to deliver the promised medicines? Transport congestion road pavement conditions health crime—they're all susceptible to having—Hon Shane Jones: Tell us about potholes.CELIA WADE-BROWN: —yeah—to having the symptoms addressed. Potholes are a symptom of a bad transport system. The Greens want to address the causes not the symptoms and we want to reduce future health costs. Warm dry secure housing would solve truancy a lot faster than fining parents.Hon Shane Jones: No send them to military camp.CELIA WADE-BROWN: All 10 of them. These questions and the Budget as a whole remind us that poverty tax cuts for landlords mitigation of climate change adaptation to climate change that's already happening and protection of our taonga species are political choices.In conclusion with the damaging effects of inequality now starkly clear on the health economy and environment I'd like to quote Kate Raworth: Don't wait for economic growth to reduce inequality". Let's address the causes of inequality the causes of ill health and the causes of environmental degradation. Thank you Madam Speaker."