1. Economy—Salvation Army ReportDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister of FinanceORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSEconomy—Salvation Army Report1. Dr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the statement in the Salvation Army's State of the Nation Report that it is clear that the benefits of this recent strong economic growth have not been shared across the board or trickled down as theory would have it"; if so why?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Yes I do; because despite strong GDP growth over recent years there has as the report says been no discernible change in child poverty rates the number of young people not in employment education or training has increased by tens of thousands and an OECD report has said that we have the worst homelessness rate in the developed world. Unlike the previous Government this Government sees economic growth as a means to an end not an end in itself. For us that end is that all New Zealanders get a fair share in prosperity.Dr Liz Craig: What is his response to the statement in the Salvation Army's report that "the things we bother to count are an indication of what we think is important."?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The Salvation Army's report demonstrates that the real measures of success for an economy have to go beyond traditional measures such as GDP to the overall health and well-being of our people and environment. That is why this Government will use the Living Standards Framework to inform future Budgets and why we are developing a set of sustainable development indicators including having our first "well-being Budget" in 2019.Dr Liz Craig: How else will the Government address the issues raised in the Salvation Army's report?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The Government's Families Package will deliver on average $75 per week to the most vulnerable families. Our KiwiBuild programme will deliver a hundred thousand affordable homes across the country over 10 years and our fees-free tertiary education and training policy will improve access to such institutions for tens of thousands of young people not currently in education employment or training. We can do this because this Government is united in prioritising spending on things like health and education rather than tax cuts a position I now see that one aspiring—SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!Hon Louise Upston: Does the Minister also agree with the statement in the Salvation Army report that says "There is much to celebrate in the progress which the youth of New Zealand have made … These include the continuing declines in youth offending in teenage pregnancy rates and improving NCEA pass rates—especially for teenagers from less well-off communities."; if he does why are they scrapping partnership schools?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I can say is that the report presents a picture of New Zealand as a country over the recent years. Of course there has been some progress but I think the report gets it right when it says "If we exclude some whether by intent or indifference we are diminished as a nation. We are diminished because we forego the energy and creativity of those we exclude." On this side of the House we seek to include all New Zealanders in prosperity.Hon Louise Upston: Does he also agree with the Salvation Army's State of the Nation Report of 2008 which says "The social outcomes which we as New Zealanders have achieved over the past five years are somewhat mixed and in some areas quite disappointing. More of our children appear to be at risk of harm more of our young people are engaged in petty crime there is more violent crime and more people in our jails. None of these trends can be seen as progress … we are chronically indebted and our homeownership rates have fallen. This is mixed progress at best."; if so why?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Well—SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. Asking a member a question relating to something before 2008 can't come close to the member having ministerial responsibility for it.Hon Louise Upston: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question that was put down on notice as the primary was related to the Salvation Army State of the Nation Report which monitors trends over 10 years. The report that I referred to is part of that series and I believe should be ruled in order.SPEAKER: The member might well. Does she have a further supplementary?Jami-Lee Ross: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: Well can I just make absolutely clear that having made a ruling on it—and we've worked through I think pretty carefully with a number of members in the House who have decided to come and talk to me about how these judgments are made—what we have agreed with those members who have been in there is that people will focus on areas that the Ministers have responsibility for. It's not that hard to get a question that works but the member didn't.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister actually has had nothing to do with or no responsibility for this area during the period during which the report was covering but a previous Minister from his party most definitely had full responsibility for everything that was in the 2008 report. The Government can't have it two ways. It can't say "If it's a good report we'll claim it no matter who was responsible"—in this case the National Party—"for those successes but if we don't like it then we're just not going to answer it particularly if we're responsible for it." That's what's happening here.SPEAKER: Thank you Mr Brownlee.Hon Louise Upston: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: Not on the same matter I hope is it?Hon Louise Upston: No. I seek leave to table a document. It is written by the Salvation Army's social policy and parliamentary unit—[Interruption]—2008 report entitled What Does it Profit us?SPEAKER: Right before I rule it out I'm going to ask Grant Robertson to apologise for interjecting during a point of order.Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I withdraw and apologise.SPEAKER: You can do that as well thank you. And I'm not going to put that to the House because that's a widely circulated document.Hon Louise Upston: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I've referred to Speaker's rulings 149/2—SPEAKER: The member is now not going to dispute my ruling is she?Hon Louise Upston: I'm just referring to a—SPEAKER: No no. I want an assurance from the member that she is not going to dispute my ruling.Hon Louise Upston: I'm bringing a Speaker's ruling to the Speaker's attention.SPEAKER: Relating to the ruling I've just made?Hon Louise Upston: Maybe maybe not.SPEAKER: OK well what we'll do is if I judge that the member is disputing my ruling when she makes her point of order her team will lose a significant number of supplementaries. It is the member's call.Hon Simon Bridges: Well we'll need to know how many in advance.SPEAKER: Well the Hon Mr Bridges wants to know how many. We'll say five.Hon Simon Bridges: Stay seated!SPEAKER: All right?Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Given your ruling which you're now enforcing and you've said you've had discussions with members and other such can you consider then Speaker's rulings 155/3 and 155/5—not for now but I think they may need to be adjusted or perhaps replaced to fit in line with what you have today ruled.SPEAKER: I've just looked at 155/3 and that needs no adjustment at all and nor does 155/5. I think the member might need to get himself an up-to-date set of Speakers' Rulings—2017 is the required one.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Minister—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have the 2017 Speakers' Rulings and 155/5 says "Just because a Minister may not have been present at the time does not relieve a Minister of being answerable for what took place." And it goes into brackets: "(A Minister was asked about a decision that occurred in his portfolio before he became a Minister.)"SPEAKER: And that's right and that refers as I'm absolutely certain the member is aware of to actions of the Government where there is a change of Minister in a portfolio. It does not allow people to go back three Governments.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Two.SPEAKER: No well actually if we think of—Hon Gerry Brownlee: Oh I see right yes.SPEAKER: All right? OK?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Minister of Finance this: if the much loved trickle-down theory works how was it that last year 1 percent of the population got 28 percent of the wealth growth and the bottom 32 percent got 1 percent of the wealth growth?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: That is exactly the point that the Salvation Army is making and indeed this Government is making. If we want to do something about addressing inequality we need to take up excellent ideas like the one that Judith Collins had which is to say no to tax cuts and yes to funding for health and education. Go Judith go!"