Goodhew Jo: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGoodhew Jo: General Debate[Sitting date: 04 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10759. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon JO GOODHEW (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector): I rise in this general debate and I want to acknowledge the fact that there are members in this House who have worked themselves into a lather about the people the Prime Minister talks to. It is going to be a long lather because the Prime Minister talks to people all the time. In fact regularly he is mobbed around this country. People want to get into his ear they want to ask his advice and they want to tell him about the things that are happening in their lives because this is a Prime Minister who is in touch with New Zealanders. This is a Prime Minister who in fact understands that he has Ministers doing a job and he will send people to talk to those Ministers. It is really not that unusual.We are approaching quite rapidly—the days are going quite quickly towards it—the Hon Bill English’s eighth Budget. We have seen a few announcements and I do want to cover off on those just briefly today but those announcements will continue the path that this Government has taken. This is about advancing the work that we have been doing about a more productive and competitive economy through our Business Growth Agenda. We have focused on delivering Better Public Services in health in education and in the fields of justice.The other thing that we have done is we have been completely committed to responsible fiscal management—something that has been welcomed by the New Zealand public particularly during tough times. They do not want to see a Government squandering money. So today on International Firefighters’ Day I want to acknowledge the pre-Budget announcement of a $303 million investment over 5 years to merge and reform New Zealand’s fire services. To call them Fire and Emergency New Zealand this is something that has been welcomed by the volunteers who are firefighters around our nation and something that is a very positive way forward.But in order to actually understand yet another of the Budget announcements we need to look to the vibes that we are getting back from our constituents and I certainly have done so on the $39 million a year over 4 years announced for Pharmac alongside $11 million coming from district health boards. Now at $850 million a year it is the largest-ever budget by a country mile. In fact since 2008 that is a $200 million increase of funding for Pharmac and I can note that the heads on the other side of the House are way down on this one because in fact they know they cannot slam that sort of support for Pharmac’s budget for the ever-increasing demand for more and modern medications. Of course there will always be a competitive tension over which medications are funded and which are not able to be funded. Pharmac has a very difficult job but it is a model that is the envy of many other nations around the world.We are heading towards the Budget. No longer do people look to Budgets for lolly scrambles—under this Government they understand that it will be careful stewardship of their money. It is not the Government’s money; it is the taxpayers’ money. Last year of course what we saw was what was reported to me as “gobsmacking”: for the first time in 43 years a $25 rate increase for those who were relying on benefits—families with children. It was something that completely stopped the traffic on the other side of the House. It was a beautiful sight—it was a beautiful sight. What we know about the Budgets that this side of the House puts together is that they are carefully analysed. We know that we are investing in New Zealanders and that the whole social investment idea is something that is quite new to New Zealand and certainly was never comprehended by the other side which threw money after votes—threw money after votes.It appears that my time is too short and is nearly over so I leave the House knowing that everyone will be looking forward to Bill English’s eighth Budget.