van Velden Brooke; Mallard TrevorBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. This was a Budget that could have been so much more than what it is. A Budget is a way for the Government to show the country the direction that the Government wants to lead us. It's an opportunity to address the key issues that face New Zealanders and provide a road map to improve the lot of all of us. It needed to do three things. Number one it needed to provide a credible plan for how we maximise the opportunity of our COVID-free status to allow Kiwi firms to grow and to create a more prosperous society. It didn't do that. Number two it needed to take the issue of an out-of-control housing market seriously. It didn't do that. And number three it needed to show us a strategy to keep New Zealanders safe from a rapidly growing gang problem in New Zealand—and it didn't do that. It did none of these things. Instead what New Zealanders were shown was a Budget that mapped out a course for increasing debt putting more burdens on businesses and workers and increasing wasteful spending. So let's focus on what it should have addressed. We needed a credible plan for maximising prosperity. Jacinda Ardern told us on election night that she would govern for all New Zealanders. Well where was anything in this Budget for middle New Zealanders—the battlers of this country who work hard to look after their family people who are trying to save for a first home? These are people that are being squeezed from every direction right now and the Budget does not provide a single dollar for middle New Zealand. At a time when we have near record terms of trade we have milk prices sky high and interest rates at record low New Zealanders could be forgiven for thinking that the Budget would actually look to lift some of the burdens that the Government has placed on them. Instead we see a Government focused on increasing the rate at which they spend our taxpayers' hard-earned money. By 2024 Government debt is set to exceed $94000 for every New Zealand household. This is borrowed money borrowed from New Zealand workers and it will need to be paid back. It will be our children and our grandchildren having to pay back for this Government's reckless spending. Now we're very grateful to have had the ACT Party in Parliament because we had an alternative budget to show us a different way a different road map. It's our battler's budget. ACT's plan would pay down that debt faster. It would give New Zealanders some much needed tax relief. ACT's budget was made for the battlers those hard-working Kiwis who are striving to succeed but are increasingly being punished for their efforts for trying to get ahead and do well for their families. Instead of facing higher taxes and regulations ACT would have delivered them a $3.8 billion tax relief package aimed at middle-income workers. Instead of increasing debt by billions of dollars ACT would have mapped out a path to surplus. We can provide tax relief and reduce debt faster than Labour without any cuts to public services. All we need to do is to ensure that we're spending our taxpayer money wisely and putting it in place where the policies will actually encourage growth. So we would stop paying hundreds of millions of dollars to foreign wealthy countries in subsidies and we would end ineffective policies like fees-free—and the Government even acknowledges that it's an ineffective policy so why are they putting money into it? But we would also lower barriers to investment and cut back the costs and red tape the Government has piled on small businesses. We needed a realistic plan to build more homes. Beyond support for middle New Zealand the Government has been unable to rein in an out-of-control housing market. Just this week another of the seemingly endless reports of further increases to house prices was released. Wellington's average house price is now over $1 million Auckland's average house price is over $1.25 million and the prices continue to rise. They're rising across the whole country and it's increasing the costs of rents mortgages and all living costs for all New Zealanders. The problem is actually quite simple though. We're just not building enough homes. But the Government's response in this Budget has been to dither and divide. They've announced billions for housing infrastructure but they don't have a single detail to support it. They've announced major tax changes risking higher rents and penalising people who are simply just trying to give their families a better future. And what does the Government say to people who have told their stories to me who will suffer real consequences because of these tax changes and because of their divisive policies? You know I had a woman write an email to me just the other week. She's got two disabled sons both in their 20s and she has bought two units for them so that they have the ability to live an independent life. The problem is of course that she pays or she charges them lower than market rent. With these housing tax changes she is forced to now sell those homes and give up her children's independence. She's doing this out of love for her family. She is not a speculator that this Government is trying to divide and pit us against. Why are we pursuing ineffective and divisive tax policies when the problems should just be solved by building more homes? I've had other stories received from tenants who are worried that these policies will see their rents increase. The Government's own officials agree that rents will increase. It's heartbreaking. There was one story from a person with a criminal conviction who had asked their landlord to increase their rent because they say I don't know who else will take me in." What sort of "kind" Government is this where somebody who is actually trying to make their life better could be made worse off or end up in emergency housing because they don't have another option because of this Government's divisive tax changes? We need to be focused on uniting people behind good ideas and not dividing them with bad ones. We need to stop looking at blaming people and focus on solving the problem: build more homes. We needed a strategy to suppress gangs and keep more New Zealanders safe. This was one of the more telling issues of the Budget: a lack of commitment to initiatives to keep New Zealanders safe. We have seen gang numbers increase to close to 50 percent under this Government. That's staggering. The result though isn't always just what you see on the Budget sheet. It's the cost to people's lives. It looks like gang members taking over State Highway 2 in the Hawke's Bay. It's regular reports of shootings and violence in our community. And it's a woman telling me last week who lives in Auckland Central that she does not leave her home after 8 o'clock at night because she does not feel safe. That's not a country I want to live in. I want one where we are helping New Zealanders be safe creating an environment where children are not being kept at home because parents are afraid that they might get caught in crossfire. That's not to mention the meth in our community. A Budget cut for police at this time is remarkable. It's difficult to see how the Government does not see the growing problems of gangs as a priority; in fact there's even evidence that they're going softer on it. You know they've spent $70 million to expand community panels to allow offenders of serious crimes to face less severe sanctions than they would in the court system. The Government keeps boasting that its prison population is decreasing. Well that's because there are more gangs and criminals on the street not in prison. They should not be having cups of tea; they should be serving time. For every offence there is a victim and we need to be thinking of those people. ACT has always been the true party of law and order. We introduced the three-strikes legislation. We have a member's bill that would require prisoners to do rehabilitation before being released. And we have a member's bill that would increase the power of police to seize assets connected to gang members. ACT has the real solutions to crime and offending and we have the plan to build more houses and grow the economy. Thank you Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: Before I call the Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan—I didn't interrupt the member because the member is still a relatively new member. But I did indicate at the beginning of the year that we are going to be a lot tighter on members reading their speeches. The Budget is a debate where members should be able to speak from notes. And I will be interrupting members from now on."