Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: Spending Cap (People’s Veto) Bill — First Reading 
Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: Spending Cap (People’s Veto) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:675;Page:21316] 
PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 I rise to support the Spending Cap (People’s Veto) Bill. Unlike my colleague who has just sat down the Hon Nanaia Mahuta I believe the intention of this bill is an admirable one. It is a meritorious one. It is about looking at Government spending and how it should be limited. It is about limiting the annual increase in core Crown expenses by linking it to the rate of inflation. 
I do not know where members opposite have been for the last 3 years. I do not know whether they have witnessed what has gone on in Greece and Ireland and what is continuing to happen in the United States of America. Government debt is crippling those economies. Recession has taken hold and export growth has contracted. In the light of those crises the points that the Hon Rodney Hide has raised in terms of this bill on Government spending are admirable. 
We all know that debt has debilitating effects on our economy. We also know that Labour when it was in Government expanded only the Government sector and did not expand jobs in the export sector. Through its economic plan over the last 3 years this Government has demonstrated that we are about controlling debt—we will reach a surplus within the next 3 to 4 years—about promoting expansion of export growth and jobs and about supporting local industries. 
Darien Fenton 
: How? 
PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: That member asks me how. When I go through my own electorate of Maungakiekie and look at companies like Compac Sorting Equipment I see the types of contracts that it is now expanding through to the United States in terms of its sorting equipment. When I look at companies like Rakon I see the technological and innovative ways that it expands its business. It earns valuable export dollars which is not something that the previous Labour Government endorsed or promoted. This Government is about promoting export growth. It is about infrastructure. The broadband initiatives that we have put in place will bring this country into the new century. We believe that infrastructure—through roads broadband our hospitals and our schools—will drive that growth. 
Let us talk about education and skills and what we are doing. The last member who stood up asked what we are doing for Pacific and Maori populations. I can tell members that it starts at early childhood as the amount of money we have poured into Maori and Pacific early childhood centres shows—and I see my colleague nodding here. Getting those kids up to scratch with numeracy and literacy is such an important part of our education system. That is what this Government stands for. 
It is about reducing regulations and the Resource Management Act reforms that this Government has put in place have reduced the red tape and bureaucracy that was built up by the Labour Government. After 3 years we are already promoting the type of regulation-busting statutes that National stands for. On innovation and trade it is also about free-trade agreements. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.