Bennett David: Appropriation (2015/16 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: Appropriation (2015/16 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate[Sitting date: 18 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5855. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): Better government is here and it will not be coming from that man Andrew Little who is the only dead man walking in this House. The best part of his speech was when he mentioned Mike Hosking. It was the only time that his members actually supported him during his speech. What a pathetic speech by someone who is attempting to lead what was but is no longer the biggest Opposition party in this House because the Labour Party does not stand for what the Labour Party should stand for. It does not stand for those things that the member tried to talk about at the end of his speech. What the Labour Party stands for is division. It is a party of division that wants to pit New Zealanders against each other. It is a party that does not want to see people who do not have English surnamescoming to this country. It is a party that does not believe in a free and open New Zealand that can go forward and take its rightful place in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a party of Opposition that has no plan.That member’s whole speech was about the plan of the National Government and we will come to that in this Budget debate.Hon Annette King: What plan?DAVID BENNETT: OK we will come to that Annette King. The party opposite gave no plan. It had no plan and it had no direction but I will tell you what the plan of the Labour Party is. The plan of the Labour Party is to put taxes up. It wants to put taxes up for hard-working New Zealanders. So for those young children out there who are going to school in New Zealand there is no incentive to get a better educationunder the Labour Party. There is no incentive to go out there and get a good degree at a university. There is no incentive to become the best you can be in your work. There is no incentive to start your own business. There is no incentive to go out there and make something of your own life because under the Labour Party everybody will be taxed at the highest levels. That is what the Labour Party stands for. It is a redistribution party. It is not an aspirational party. It is not a party that actually backs people and New Zealanders. It is a party of pain and it is a party of failure and the public knows that and understands that.When we look at the plan for New Zealand I want to take you to Hamilton and show you the plan that is working in that great city. That great city which is a young city with one of the youngest populations in New Zealand—40 percent of the population is under 25. Those people see a vision for New Zealand. They see a country that is moving ahead. They see electoral responsibility. They see a Government that has delivered for them the greatest infrastructure investment in the Waikato for two generations. They see for the first time that roads that were promised for many generations have actually been built. They see new schools going up in their electorate. They see a hospital that is being redeveloped. They see that there are opportunities in work and employment in that city. They see a plan that is working so that every young child in Hamilton now knows that if they go to school they are going to get the best education we can deliver. They know that they are going to get the opportunity to go on to tertiary education. They know that through tertiary education at our fine university the University of Waikato they can come out as a graduate and get a job in an area that will be part of the progressive economy of New Zealand. And that is what this Budget delivers. Then they know that they can actually build their own businesses their own jobs and their own communities around that hard work. That is what we are doing in this Government.We are supporting the vision and the intellect of our people. We are supporting the ability of New Zealanders to make the right choices and to deliver the right results. We are not a party of division like you see on the other side of the House where the Labour Party does not know what it stands for and is trying to be everything to everybody but is being nothing to anybody in the process. We see a Green Party that is the far left of communism in the modern society and the Labour Party is trying to be part of that as well. We see a New Zealand First Party that is against immigration of any sort and its nationalist approach to this country would be to the detriment of this country going forward. The Labour Party has grasped on to both of those things. It has taken the far-left agenda that the Green Party is talking about and has taken the anti-immigration approach of New Zealand First. That is the Labour Party of new. The Labour Party of old would never have protested about free-trade agreements as Bill English just said. The Labour Party of old would have been standing up for international arrangements because it knew that those are the things that are in the best interests of all New Zealanders going forward. The Labour Party of old would not have voted against the welfare reform that was in this Budget—the first time in 43 years that a Government has delivered through that part of the system for those people most in need. And the Labour Party had to vote against it. That is a shame on the Labour Party and that is not the case of the real and true vision that that party should be engaging in.I say to you members of this House: look at those hard-working students out there. Look at those people who want to have a future in this country. Look at those people who want to make New Zealand their home and let us welcome them. Let us put the mat out. Let us say: “If you want to make New Zealand your home we will enable you to do that. If you want to stay in New Zealand we will make that happen for you and if you want to build a more prosperous and dynamic country we have got a plan. We have got a plan that is working. Come to Hamilton and you will see that plan and you will see that it is working.” The Labour Party members over there know it and they will not come to Hamilton because they know it is working and that there is no chance for them there at this stage.Hon Annette King: Some of us were there long before you were.DAVID BENNETT: Oh “Some of us were there long before you were.” Oh Annette King—well she did nothing for Hamilton. She never has and never will so good on you. A long time and no achievement—that is Annette King for you. We all know about Annette King do we not?When we look at those initiatives in the Budget—a $790 million package to reduce hardship amongst children.Hon Trevor Mallard: Did you take your drill to him Annette?DAVID BENNETT: Oh there is another member over there who at one stage thought that he came from Hamilton. He lasted one term I think and got chucked out. He was a great help to Hamilton was he not? Then he left. He left—he left when got he voted out. He could not handle it. He did not actually believe in the city. He came down to Wellington to try to get a safe seat. That is what happened to Trevor Mallard. When it got tough for him he left Hamilton behind. He did not think about the people of Hamilton. I imagine that in 1970 he was going around the streets of Hamilton West saying: “Oh I’m going to do everything for you. I’ll be there representing you. Vote for me. I’m Trevor Mallard. I’m the bright new face of the Labour Party. I’ll be there.” As soon as he lost he was out of there. He was gone. He came down to Wainuiōmata did he not? Yes. What did you do for Hamilton Trevor Mallard? Nothing. He probably closed a few schools while he was the Minister. That is about all he would have done. [Interruption] Yes I want to hear from you again Trevor. That would be great to see.There is a $790 million package in this Budget to reduce hardship among children living in New Zealand’s poorest families. That is a big attempt in very difficult times to do something for the next generation of New Zealanders. It is about finding out the people who need the Government’s assistance and delivering it to them. That is what this Government is about. We have got a plan. We are looking at what is actually needed for our country and our people and we are then delivering that kind of careful management of public spending which goes hand in hand with investment in public services and support for the country’s most vulnerable. That is the difference between this side and the Opposition. This is a Budget that has delivered in difficult times. There is no other way that you can look at it. These are very delicate economic times around the world and we have—Hon Damien O’Connor: Rock star economy we were told.DAVID BENNETT: Pardon? What does this member—Hon Damien O’Connor: Rock star economy—rock bottom.DAVID BENNETT: Mr O’Connor tries to talk about the dairy industry but he has not milked a cow a day in his life. He would not know what a cow was.When we look at this the world economic situation is a delicate situation. We cannot go out there and make wild promises as the Labour Party would like to do. We have got to be reasonable and rational and do what is right and that is what this Budget does. It actually enables New Zealanders to have some comfort that this Government is looking after those who are most in need. It is a pleasure to be part of the National Government that has delivered this Budget a Budget that is fair and that is open. I see that the New Zealand First leader has walked into the room and I guess we will hear all through his speech about his anti-immigration anti-people coming into this country approach. That is the typical approach that we would get from that member. It is about all he is worth. Half of his caucus came in on the ticket and I would like to see how they all react now.We know what the Opposition is going to say. We are going to have the far left saying that we should go back to the Stone Age; we are going to have New Zealand First not wanting anybody in New Zealand apart from those who were here in 1950; and we are going to have the Labour Party which does not really know and which just wants to be in between the two of them. That is the Opposition whereas on this side we have got a plan—a plan that is working a plan that has delivered and if you want to go and see where it is working come to Hamilton any day.