SpeechHon SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga): Thank you Mr Speaker. I want to empathise with the local member of Parliament for Wellington Central about the disruption that he spoke of in a heartfelt way there. But I do want to switch tack on what I think are a bunch of issues that are actually more important for New Zealanders overall—and certainly more important for young New Zealanders and our tomorrow—because today I asked the Minister of Finance in this House about public spending in this country. What we established was I think an incredibly avaricious Government; a Government that wants to spend and spend and spend. We established quite clearly on the first supplementary question that I asked him—that is the first question after the primary one—that this Government is the second-highest spending Government in the Western World after the United States; second-biggest during the pandemic. It has spent and spent and spent. It is an outlier in that regard far and away as a proportion of GDP spending higher than most other Western countries.Now the Minister didn't agree with a quote I put to him even though it was from an Australian paper of repute The Australian about the debt and the biggest increase proportionately of debt in the Western World. But what is true what he can't deny because it comes from his own documents is that net core Crown debt is going from 36 percent 37 percent right now—which at least in New Zealand terms in modern terms is higher than it's been—to over 40 percent next year. He—his Government—is spending over $20 billion more. By the way if they cancelled the light rail they wouldn't have to do that. Then what we also saw what he would not deny and I've asked him now a number of times in select committees and other places is that in this coming Budget—the biggest spend to date in the Western World after the United States—he will be spending $6 billion in operating allowances as the boffins call it or in new spending; more new money than we have ever seen at a Budget in New Zealand's history. That piled on top of what's been is excessive and is irresponsible in the National Party's view.I'll tell you why it matters—I'll tell New Zealanders why it matters—because we are in a cost of living crisis at the moment. We have inflation at 5.9 percent. I intervened when the first speaker Marama Davidson was speaking; she mentioned gardening—well cauliflower are $15 at the moment in New Zealand; I don't think they have ever been that expensive. But everything is more expensive. Many New Zealanders have never seen this before in their adult lifetimes—I haven't as a 45-year-old; I know I look much younger!—but that's the reality of what we are in right now. Yes let's not be childish about this: a good chunk of it—oil prices; although there's a lot of tax on that—is international. But what is also true is there's a significant domestic aspect to it. The bank economists say so and what they also say—most of them—is that big Government spending pushes it up. So we are in a situation with that big Government spending of inflation being higher than it needs to be. With inflation being higher than it needs to be the Reserve Bank must push interest rates up higher than they need to be. And that hurts New Zealanders big time. Some are talking about recession; we're seeing that in the paper today. I'm not necessarily predicting that but it's a real double whammy.So the vicious cycle that New Zealanders are in right now partly because of Grant Robertson and his avaricious Government is the highest inflation in over 30 years is pushing interest rates up more Government spending leading to higher inflation leading to interest rates going up. It is not pretty. And all that National is saying—all we are saying—is Look you know what? How about from here on in we rein it in a bit we show some discipline and we focus on quality?"Hon Member: What are you going to cut?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: But the Government is avaricious and irresponsible and they say "Well what are you going to cut?" Well actually a big chunk—that's Grant Robertson's words—is in health restructure. In a pandemic? In a situation actually where it doesn't deliver a single new hip operation? That's hip operation not hip-hop Chris Hipkins! It doesn't deliver a new ICU bed. Actually all it delivers is for Wellington consultants who're already doing well enough. The Waitematā District Health Board says it leads to real risks. So we say look rein it in actually in the interests of New Zealanders so that we can get on top of this cost of living crisis that is hurting so many in this country."