Simpson Scott: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSimpson Scott: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 07 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11710. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Correct. Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. There we had it: the big problem with the Labour Party is a speech from that member who comes from Dunedin David Clark speaking in riddles speaking in slogans speaking in a confused and glass half-empty way—the sorts of riddles and slogans that are not resonating at all with middle New Zealand.Over the last week or so we have seen this reverse takeover of a once-proud political party—in its 100th year a reverse takeover by the Greens who are now playing for lead roles. I bet that member when he was waxing eloquent in riddles and slogans about why he virtuously decided to stand for the Labour Party and become a Labour Party member did not think for one minute that his place in a potential Labour Government in 10 or 15 or 20 years’ time would actually be taken by a backbench Green list MP from an obscure part of the country; that it would probably be Catherine Delahunty who took his Cabinet role. Well that is the future vision for that party. Over the weekend I had an opportunity to do a little bit of reading and I found this wonderful quote from no less a person than that great communist revolutionary Bolshevik Vladimir Lenin himself. He said this: “The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves.” That is what the Greens have done. They seek to control the Opposition by leading it themselves.What a particularly good Budget Bill English’s eighth Budgethas been: 2.8 percent economic growth forecast for the next 4 or 5 years; a country that has its books back in the black; and options that the Government now has that the Government simply did not have 8 years ago when we were at the peak of the global financial crisis when we were as a Government contending with the tragedy that was the Canterbury earthquakes. Now we find due to Bill English’s careful prudent skilful management of the country’s books that we are back in black and suddenly the Government has options that it did not have 8 years ago.In my part of the country in the beautiful Coromandel where we have had a summer-like long weekend things are going exceptionally well. I will come back to the beautiful Coromandel in just a minute but I do want to just comment to the House and to people who may be listening or watching this afternoon about how important it is that this Government in Bill English’s eighth Budget has been focusing on the things that matter for all New Zealanders—focusing on the things that matter for Kiwis and their families. We have in this eighth Budget from Bill English been able to further invest very significantly in health and education—two of the most important portfolios. Even during those dark days back in 2008 in the middle of the global financial crisis we were a Government that even then was prepared to continue to invest more in education and more in health. This year we have been able to provide very significant extra investment which means for the people in my electorate for instance that more elective surgeries will be available to them.The Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy spoke about his electorate of Ōtaki as having by number the most mature citizens in this country. Well it just happens that the Coromandel electorate has the second-highest number of people in the 65-plus age group of anywhere in the country. For that age demographic things like more spending on the SuperGold card are terribly important. People have been coming up to me in the street in Thames and in Whitianga over the weekend saying exactly the same things that they have been saying to Nathan Guy in Ōtaki: “Thank goodness that this National Government is prepared to spend money and invest in our older people.” In health that means more hip and knee operations more elective surgeries for those people and more support for vulnerable New Zealanders across the range.An amount of $94 million is going to be invested by this Government in better regional development initiatives. In the provinces like the Coromandel and in regional and provincial and rural New Zealand that is very important. In my part of the world we have been reaping the rewards of a growing economy—more jobs more roading more people and more tourists. Heaven forbid! We have had so many tourists over the summer. In fact we are getting more by the day. They are coming because they can afford to and they are coming because they want to see a very beautiful country. But they are coming and spending and they are spending their time and their money in the beautiful Coromandel. That means more jobs for local people more opportunity more investment and more support from this Government.Another feature of this particular Budget has been that we have been able to ensure that there will be more money for—