Dowie Sarah: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDowie Sarah: General Debate[Sitting date: 05 November 2014. Volume:701;Page:658. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SARAH DOWIE (National—Invercargill):It is my pleasure to speak in this general debate tonight because it is my turn to highlight the fantastic work that this John Key - National Government is doing to enhance and strengthen our community across New Zealand but also in Invercargill and Southland. All throughout the campaign the Opposition cried how rubbish New Zealand was how terrible it was to live here and how the sky was falling. Well New Zealand did not agree and I certainly do not agree.As such I am extremely proud of the achievements that this Government has made in these difficult economic times to grow our economy to deliver better public services and to support our families. This is a Government that is not afraid to think outside the box. We have initiatives novel to the Opposition such as a Business Growth Agenda implementing strategies to keep New Zealand open for business and negotiating essential free-trade agreements which are especially important for areas such as Southland that have an export-driven economy. New Zealand simply does not have enough people to sell our wares to and we must treat the rest of the world as our business partners.This Government is also investing in infrastructure. We are investing in ultra-fast fibre to connect even our most isolated businesses with the rest of the world and Southland is a prime example. Even though we live at the bottom of the world and our hair is swept with the winds off the polar ice caps our businesses are thriving. They are producing more they are hiring more staff and they are generating higher incomes for our people.Jami-Lee Ross: Some pretty good MPs too.SARAH DOWIE: Thank you. In fact unemployment figures released today in the household labour force survey say that the South Island unemployment rate is 3.4 percent. That is fantastic.Unlike the Labour Party this Government is a dynamic one. We are not one-trick ponies. Not only do we care about building a strong economy but we care about our families getting ahead too. Take health care for example. We introduced free doctors visits and prescriptions for children under 6 and now we are extending it to children under 13 years of age. This means that cost is not a barrier to our children getting the medical attention that they need and early intervention including immunisation programmes to keep our kids healthy. I am so pleased that another doctor’s surgery in Invercargill has signed up to that scheme to keep our Southland kids healthy. This year our public health care budget will reach a record $15.6 billion.Scott Simpson: How much?SARAH DOWIE: $15.6 billion. We are making each dollar go further and we are focused on front-line results. There are more elective surgeries to reduce pain restore independence and improve quality of life. Since 2008 there are 1600 more doctors and 3200 more nurses in district health boards. We care about New Zealanders’ health and their lifestyles.I want to pay tribute to the Southland Institute of Technology. Yesterday it signed a memorandum of understanding with an Indonesian polytechnic LP3i Polytechnic to develop an exchange programme not only to enrich obviously Invercargill’s cultural diversity but to bring students over for a staircase option to allow them to study after they have completed their diplomas to complete a degree in commerce applied management or hotel management. This is indicative of the standard and the quality of the courses offered by the Southland Institute of Technology. This John Key - National Government has a goal of doubling the total value of international education to $5 billion by 2025 as set out in our Business Growth Agenda. The polytech and Invercargill are contributing to this through such alliances and I look forward to meeting the first students taking part in this exchange soon.There is much still to be achieved but New Zealand Invercargill and Southland are coming out of one of the worst financial crises since the Great Depression and we are well on the way to a more prosperous and meaningful position. I look forward to being part of this positive and pragmatic Government now and in the future.