Ngaro Alfred: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 02 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4189. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALFRED NGARO (National):I thank you for the call and look forward to having this call in this Budget debate even if it is only 5 minutes. I just want to commend the previous speaker Meka Whaitiri because when she was talking it was actually the first time I have heard the strategies coming from the Opposition and from the Labour Party. She was talking about the things that they will actually do rather than just opposing us. So I can commend her for putting up the strategies. I do not always agree with all of them but I think it is great that actually we are hearing strategies that are being put forward.What I want to talk about is this Budget of 2015 and the responses not from the House but actually from the community from the heart of the people who are out there and from the people who work every day with our communities and with our families whether it be in business tertiary training education health or other forms of services as well.On Friday we were with the Deputy Prime Minister the Minister of Finance himself. We were in South Auckland at the Auckland University of Technology at the Manukau campus and we were holding a post-Budget forum with the Pasifika community. What was encouraging were the comments that came afterwards and also when the Deputy Prime Minister spoke. He said: “This Budget tries to move forward.” It makes changes for instance in regard to the baseline of benefit changes and the increases that are there. Seven hundred and ninety million dollars over a period of 4 years is significant and though it has been said that that $25 is not much that increase has not happened in 42 years so that is significant as well.Kris Faafoi: And it won’t happen for 10 months.ALFRED NGARO: The reason why there are comments about 10 months—let us talk about that just really briefly. Part of that process as the honourable member Mr Faafoi will know is that first of all you have to go through legislation. Then you have a process—and this is for the listeners out there to hear—and then there are submissions to be heard over 3 months. After that the legislation comes back into the House has its second and third readings and then after that it then goes through the administration changes after the Royal assent. And so therefore 16 April is an appropriate date. It is no different from the GP visits for under-13s legislation. We announced this measure in 2014 and it was enacted in 2015. It is appropriate because we need to make sure we have the administration side and we have the commitment there to achieve that so it is actually no different from that process as well. We believe that process is appropriate it is adequate and it is meeting the needs. Like we said when you have not changed something for 42 years you have got to do it right. You cannot say: “Why is it taking 10 months?” when you have not done it—even in Labour’s time—in 42 years. I think that is quite significant and we think that it is important as well.What is not often talked about—and I just want to make some comments about this—is that the economic growth forecast is at 2.8 percent and that is significant. We have heard others in the Opposition and even internationally call it the rock star economy but we know that our Minister of Finance has said it is a rock-solid economy. Therefore we are not trying to be flashy and we are not trying to pretend that we know all things. However we are making sensible and stable decisions hence the reason why even in the latest poll from Television One 48 percent still prefer National as a Government. That is significant as well and so that is important. The deficit of $684 million is forecast for 2014-15 and will move to a surplus—and a question was asked about a surplus—of $176 million in 2015-16 growing to a $3.6 billion surplus in 2018-19. We think that is quite significant. We think that is really important as well.I also want to just talk about how average wages are expected to rise to $63000 a year by mid-2019 at an increase of 12.5 percent. That is significant because we still know and we are still clear that the average wage increase is above inflation. That is significant as well because we know that what is important to our families and to our homes is to ensure there are enough resources coming in. Unemployment—Mr Faafoi was actually talking and asking questions about that. Unemployment is forecast to fall to below 5 percent in 2016. There are 194000 new jobs that are there. It is nearly 23000 more than what was forecasted by Treasury which talked about 170000. We think that is significant—194000 jobs are significant to what we are talking about.In the remaining moments that I have I just want to talk about—just finally in wrapping up—for vulnerable children the other part of the Budget that is part of the $790 million child hardship package proposal the $36 million to support the Children’s Action Plan including for new and existing Children’s Teams. We know they are out in Whangarei; we know they are in Rotorua. We have seen that the Children’s Teams have begun to work. It is an intersectional sort of collaboration that is making a difference for the children—for the young people and their families—and we know that this $36 million is important. In the Budget there is $23 million to bolster the work of Child Youth and Family and $8 million to help vulnerable students to participate more in education or training and to lift achievement. These things are absolutely significant and important as well. We have been talking about early childhood education in schools. We see the total spend is $10.8 billion.Scott Simpson: How much?ALFRED NGARO: $10.8 billion by 2015-16 on early childhood primary and secondary education—and at the moment there is $74.9 million for early childhood education to enable more children to be able to attend. We know that when children go to school they are well-equipped and prepared by their being in the early childhood education sector. We have increased the participation rates to up to at least 25 percent from what they were before. We think it is making a difference and it is quite significant.The other one—which is dear to my heart—is there are 300 extra trades academies places being added to support students to achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2. This is a great opportunity to be able to—[Interruption] Sorry?The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): The member can keep going if he wants to for a little while yet. I will tell him when to stop.ALFRED NGARO: Thirty seconds.In the brief moments that I have then Mr Assistant Speaker I just want to touch on a couple of things and they are particular to health. I think that these things are quite important. There is an additional $1.7 billion for new public health services which over the next 4 years will increase the Government’s total health investment. I think that is important. I am a member of the Pacific Prostate Cancer Foundation and getting health messages out to our community is critical. I know issues around non-communicable diseases are also placing an important burden upon a number of our communities. Therefore I believe that the health spend is significant in the primary care space—that it is important. So there is $320 million per year to district health boards and $1.3 billion over 4 years for extra services to help meet cost pressures and population changes. I could go on but I will not I think.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Consider it a challenge.ALFRED NGARO: Consider it a challenge—would you like me to continue? Thank you very much. I commend this Budget this excellent Budget to the House.