Sutton Jim: Appropriation (2004/05 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Sutton Jim: Appropriation (2004/05 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:619;Page:14971] 
Hon JIM SUTTON (Minister of Agriculture) 
: 
 I want to start by observing that we no longer have a National Party agriculture spokesperson on the front bench. This must be the biggest betrayal of its rural and provincial heritage that this party has ever been responsible for. In fact when I came into the House this afternoon the only Opposition spokespeople on the front bench were Craig McNair of New Zealand First and Rod Donald of the Greens. They were the only people who were looking after the interests of the Opposition supporters out there in the countryside—the traditional agricultural right-wing voting people out there in the heartland. Who did they have looking after them this afternoon? They had Craig McNair from New Zealand First and Rod Donald from the Greens. But then Brian Donnelly came into the House and things looked a bit better. He is hobbling along on his crutches. He has been playing football—golden oldies—although I would have said not-so-golden but brave. My colleague generously described his game as brave and I suppose it was. 
 He ought to examine himself in the mirror in the morning because when he went off to have his football injuries medically treated he was probably depriving a New Zealand pensioner of his or her opportunity to get a new hip. That pensioner has probably been waiting since 1992 for that hip and now we find that Mr Donnelly is getting new studs put in his feet so he can resume his football. However as my colleague did I do give him credit for his bravery. A man of his age should not be playing football. He should not be asking so much— 
Darren Hughes 
: That’s what Mrs Donnelly said. 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: Well we should not be asking so much of him. Seriously it is a disappointment that the National Party no longer rates agriculture as a front-bench portfolio. It just shows the contempt that National has for heartland New Zealand. What do National members believe in? We can see what the National Party’s election strategy is by whom it puts on its front bench. It has a spokesperson for law and order. It figured that New Zealanders do not like criminals so the front-bench members will make their speeches against criminals. National’s spokesperson on race relations has been promoted to being deputy leader. Usually that is a good indication of what it will fight the election on. National has given its big speech on race relations. It has tapped the full extent of racial resentment in New Zealand. It went up in the polls it is already over the hump and it is coming back down again. It is now behind in all the main polls. All four of the main polls show National is down and falling. 
Its spokesperson on beneficiaries is on the front bench. It is campaigning against beneficiaries and tapping the deep spring of resentment about beneficiaries amongst taxpayers. National is doing its best to whip up a deep spring of resentment against beneficiaries— 
Darren Hughes 
: It’s not working. 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: It is not working very well. But one thing we can say for beneficiaries is that they do vote and they will not forget the National Party’s betrayal. 
The other group that does not yet vote is immigrants. The National Party is exploiting the deep resentment of some New Zealanders against immigrants. But National members have not done their sums. They have not calculated that with unemployment down to record-low levels of 4 percent and probably still falling the number of people who blame immigrants for taking their jobs is down to almost none. In fact there is some doubt about whether unemployed people these days would vote against immigration. They might recognise that there is a skills shortage that we can fill in the short term by bringing in more immigrants and there are plenty of immigrants who want to come to New Zealand because despite the gloom doom and the badmouthing of New Zealand by the leader of the National Party New Zealand is still recognised as perhaps the best place in the world to live and to bring up kids. 
Lots of people will come back from their travels to the Olympic Games and elsewhere after enjoying their new-found prosperity by seeing the sights of the world and say: “Well it is pretty good over there going to the Olympic Games and staying in flash hotels but it is good to be home because New Zealand is the best place in the world to be living.” This has been reinforced by the recent situation and outlook published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for New Zealand agriculture and forestry. It points out that for those of us who still retain a deep interest and abiding love for the primary industries of New Zealand things are looking even better and brighter after the exciting results of the World Trade Organization meeting in Geneva earlier this month. 
 For the first time ever 147 countries agreed that they will negotiate an end-date for all export subsidies—those pernicious interventions that drive down prices and keep unsubsidised farmers’ incomes down all around the world developing-country farmers and developing-country economies; all are kept down by those pernicious export subsidies that destroy those developing-country markets and third-country markets. 
This is a great day. We can now look forward to when those export subsidies are eliminated. New Zealand can expect to see a substantial increase in the value of our agricultural exports over the next 3 years along with a slowly depreciating dollar. That is not me saying that; it is the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in its situation and outlook for New Zealand agriculture and forestry and it is not biased. It points out that the value of pastoral agriculture horticulture and forestry exports is expected to increase by 20 percent to over $20 billion a year over the next 3 years. 
The largest contributor to this will be dairy—the star performer—up 25 percent to $7.6 billion due to higher volumes and prices. Forestry is also up 41 percent to $3.89 billion—largely due to increased lumber volumes and prices. Wool export value is projected to increase by 4 percent due to higher prices while horticultural export value is projected to rise by around 30 percent in 3 years mainly driven by a 300 percent increase in wine volume being exported. 
This Government understands very well the importance of primary industry to the New Zealand economy. We understand extremely well the value and importance of rural communities to our society. What was delivered in the Budget for education health and families could not have happened without economic success and much of that economic success started on our farms and in our forests out there in rural New Zealand. They still provide 60 percent of this country’s export income and it is absolutely essential that we keep them growing and thriving. This Government is doing what it takes to do that. 
Biosecurity funding is up another $46 million over the next 4 years making a funding increase in biosecurity baseline of 57 percent since the Labour-led Government was elected in November 1999. It is still not enough but it is also a measure of the complete inadequacy of the previous National Government when it came to protecting New Zealand from exotic bugs and diseases. 
This is a good-news Budget. This is a Government on a roll. We look forward to the next general election—we say: “Bring them on!”