Bridges Simon: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBridges Simon: General Debate[Sitting date: 16 April 2014. Volume:698;Page:17329. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Energy and Resources): What a ridiculous set of contributions we have had from the Opposition this afternoon. It started with David Cunliffe going on about Judith Collins’ numbers in our caucus. Well he was I think purple with envy because he has never had the numbers in his own caucus. Of course the only party that David Cunliffe has the numbers in to remain Leader of the Opposition is the New Zealand National Party. We are absolutely desperate for him to stay as Leader of the Opposition for just as long as he can. Then of course we had Grant Robertson from the Opposition. He started off OK actually I thought. He was all right. About halfway through he got hungry and started talking about Chinese banquets. I could see him sort of mentally visualising dumplings in his head or something.Actually in all seriousness we have had speeches from the other side of the House that have not focused on a single issue of importance to New Zealanders around this country. Nothing in those speeches—Sue Moroney: Ah he won’t defend Judith.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Actually for the people of Hamilton where Sue Moroney comes from despite never having won the seat she has stood in there was nothing in the speeches for them. There was nothing for the people of Napier New Plymouth Tauranga and so on. On this side of the House is a party that is focused on the issues that matter to New Zealanders. We are resolutely focused on a Budget coming up very soon that is on targeted spending—not the kind of spend-up we would get from the Opposition parties—on the areas that matter most to families and New Zealanders: health care education and safer communities. We will be sticking to the $1 billion Budget allowance because we know that that is the responsible thing to do. We know that that is what keeps mortgage rates lower for longer. We know that that is how wewill achieve average annual wages increasing by $7500 to around $62000 a year in 2018. Over the past 2 years we have seen a $3000 lift in the average wage to $54700 a year. We have got great results here in this part of the Government. We know we cannot have a spend-up.Of course we then heard from Eugenie Sage. It is true that unlike the Labour Party she did focus on a real issue and she made clear the Green Party position on these things. We have seen today in the House from Russel Norman that the Greens are absolutely anti-development. That is their position on these things. They are anti-irrigation for farms and anti - intensive farming and the jobs they bring. They are anti-manufacturing and we know that they are anti-resources. We saw that from Russel Norman getting in a lather today about the Victoria Forest Park despite the fact that that party—and it hates to hear this—whilst it was propping up the Labour Government did nothing as the Labour Government oversaw mining in this area. Of course we have got Damien O’Connor on the other side and Labour Party members who have been as quiet as church mice on this issue—not even a squeak from them—because they are confused. They have got on the one side the university types—the Maryan Streets and so on—the bookish types who are probably with the Greens on these things. Then they have the manly chest-beating Tarzan types like Shane Jones who actually are probably more gung ho—certainly actually—on these issues than we are.On this side of the House we are absolutely focused on the things that matter to New Zealanders. We are focused on a Budget that is going to be sensible that is going to be responsible and that is going to deliver for New Zealanders. We know that we can live in a country where we explore all our opportunities. In my portfolio we do pursue resources. That does not mean that we do not care about the environment. We absolutely do. We know that the legal processes and so on safeguard what is happening.So while the other side of the House focus on the trivial—Sue Moroney: Don’t call Judith trivial.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: —and focus on Chinese banquets and things that the people in Napier New Plymouth Nelson Christchurch and Hamilton Sue Moroney could not care less about this side will focus on the things that matter to New Zealanders and on that basis be re-elected later this year.