Scott Alastair: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeScott Alastair: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 27 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:4044. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALASTAIR SCOTT (National—Wairarapa): Talofa lava Mr Speaker. Over the last week or so Opposition members have criticised us for our projected surplus forecasts. They say that they are not big enough. Well the question is: what would they do differently? We know that a surplus comes from two parts: the income side and the expenditure side. We know that the revenue side has taken a hit because of lower dairy payouts and the lower interest-rate environment that we find ourselves in—all these things affect the revenue side and are out of our control. So to increase our surplus we have to look at the cost side: the expense side. We have to spend less. So the question to the Opposition members is: what would they have done? What would they have cut to get a larger surplus today tomorrow and in the future?Would they have cancelled free GP visits for under-13-year-olds? I do not think so. I do not think they could. Would they have cancelled the increase in paid parental leave that we put in place? Would they have cancelled the $11 million of funding available for the kiwi breeding programme I ask the Minister of Conservation? Would they have cut the funding for kauri dieback? Would they have reduced expenditure in health which would have seen waiting lists grow cancer treatment patients go back to Australia and queues for elective surgery? These are the consequences of cutting expenditure which is the only thing you can do if you want to increase your surpluses. Would they have cut the rheumatic fever investment that this Government has made? Would they have taken away the $359 million that we are investing in schoolteachers to encourage and incentivise teachers to do better for our kids? Maybe they would claw back the $790 million that we have just announced for the most needy—that is the children in beneficiary households.These are the sorts of things that you have to do if the surplus is the only thing that you are concerned about. But we are not because we know that it is much more important to continue the spending and the investment in those things that I have just mentioned. You know where Labour is going to get the money from? It is going to go for the superannuitants. It is going for the superannuitants. There are two or three things that it could do. It could raise the age of entitlement which we have said we would not do. Maybe it could means test superannuation which we have said we would not do. Or maybe it can simply reduce the amount which we have said we would not do.This Budget focuses on those who are in need the most: the children of beneficiary families. This Budget is a good Budget. This Budget is fiscally responsible. This Budget has cut the kick-start programme which is a programme that is not about focusing on the most needy. We know that the $1000 per person was going only to middle and higher-income families. It was not targeted at beneficiaries and it was not targeted at lower-income families which is why we are cutting that back. There are 2.5 million people involved in that programme. It is working. I support this Budget. Thank you.