Smith Nick: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Smith Nick: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 23 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2318. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) 
: 
 This week the John Key - led Government will set down another chapter in the plan to balance the books in a timely way and to grow the New Zealand economy for a better future for our country. We know now on the day before the Budget that the Leader of the Opposition is so not on top of his game that there was not one idea from Mr Shearer as to how we could grow the economy and not one idea from Mr Shearer as to how we could balance the Budget. I have an interesting challenge for members opposite. It is easy enough to talk about balancing the Budget as one David might say but the other David actually has to say how they would do it.  
Over the adjournment all we have heard from Labour members is how to spend more and how to stop growth. Let me just recite a few of the commentaries from members of the Opposition on their plan to address the economic problems of New Zealand. We had Labour members come out and say why they oppose gas petroleum and mining exploration. They can whinge all they like about jobs in Australia. Why is it that they oppose every initiative by members on this side of the House to grow petroleum to grow minerals?  
We had an even more dopey idea from the Opposition over the adjournment. They wanted to grow the economy by freezing the number of dairy cows—freezing the number of dairy cows. Can some member opposite explain to me how you grow the economy how the most important growing industry that this country has for the earning of export industries is going to grow by capping the number of cows? I asked the library: if you had capped the number of cows over the last decade what would that mean for jobs and exports? It would mean $8 billion less in exports and it would mean 5000 fewer jobs.  
Do you know what else happened over the adjournment? Well submissions were made public on King Salmon’s proposals to grow the aquaculture industry. This Government has got a plan to grow that industry up to be a billion-dollar industry and to employ another 8000 people. Do you know what the Opposition said? On every single application for new marine space the Opposition said: “No no growth.” So Mr Shearer I say to you: where is the growth coming from when every Opposition commentary over the adjournment was to stop aquaculture growth to stop marine development in terms of resources and to stop the growth of the dairy industry?  
What about the different views of the Davids? Mr David Parker says that Labour is going to balance the Budget by 2014-15. What a pity he did not talk to Mr Cunliffe because Mr Cunliffe has said they need to take a stimulus approach and that we should borrow more. What is more I hear every member of the Labour Opposition promising more spending. Well they have been promising more for housing and more for the police. We have got the broadcasting spokesperson promising another $25 million for TVNZ 7. Well I have got a simple message for members opposite. 
Andrew Little 
: $5 billion from that former Minister; it’s hopeless. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I say to Mr Little that it is easy to say you are going to grow the economy but you have to walk the talk. It is easy to say you are going to balance the Budget but you have to walk the talk. The difference between members on this side of the House and members opposite is that there is a credible plan to balance the Budget. There is a credible plan to grow the economy.  
Over there on “Planet Labour” they are disconnected. I ask Mr Little how more holidays and more paid parental leave balances the Budget or grows the economy because that is what Mr Little has been talking about over the adjournment. The hope for New Zealand is with the John Key - led Government and is the next chapter in our story of how we balance the Budget in a reasonable time frame how we grow the economy and I just challenge members opposite—