3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Prime Minister): Yes in particular the Government's work to ease the cost of living pressures by extending 20 hours of free early childhood education to two-year-olds. We know that childcare can be one of the biggest costs that families face. Families with a two-year-old child who attends early childhood education 20 hours a week will save an estimated $133 a week in childcare costs as a result of this policy.David Seymour: How is it possible that someone could spend $50 a month on prescriptions when there are 12 months in a year and the cost of prescriptions under current policy is capped at $100 per year?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I think the member answered his own question in the last part of his question.David Seymour: How much is his Government budgeting to spend this coming financial year and does his repeated reference to a coalition of cuts" mean that he can't imagine saving a single dollar from that amount?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I can give the member the precise amount. If he's asking for core Crown expenses in this financial year it's $128 billion.David Seymour: Point of order Mr Speaker. Just to clarify it was this coming financial year.Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Sorry it's $136.99 billion.David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister not believe that a single dollar can be saved from that $137 billion meaning anyone who wants to save is a "coalition of cuts"?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The Government has already indicated that there is significant reprioritisation within the Budget.David Seymour: Does he believe that the majority of Kiwis who told 1News Kantar that they want a tax cut are also part of the "coalition of cuts" or does he agree with his deputy leader who told Breakfast TV yesterday that maybe those people answering that poll just don't understand tax cuts?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Well I certainly understand that low-income earners don't want to have a tax increase which is the member's proposal.David Seymour: Has the Prime Minister read ACT's alternative Budget A Time for Truth and if so how did he miss the bit where every single earner including low earners are better off?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I have indeed read the ACT Party's tax policy and it is without doubt that they want to increase tax rates for the lowest income earners. It's there in black and white.David Seymour: Did the Prime Minister see the low and middle income tax offset and carbon tax refund that would leave every single earner better off and if he missed that what else is he missing when he's in charge of the country's finances?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I can assure the member that I did read his tax policy and I don't think that the name on the front of it truly reflects it.David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister think that $2.8 million being spent by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority to tell people to have shorter showers could be cut given anyone with an ounce of common sense knows they can already save money by using less power or is it time for this Government's spending to take a cold shower?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I do think it is important that consumers are given good fact-based information about how they can reduce their energy use in order to save money and in order to overall reduce our energy demand. It is just as important now as it was when the National Government repeatedly launched energy efficiency campaigns when they were in Government supported by the ACT Party.David Seymour: Does he think that the $18 million in the Budget for "public awareness of Matariki" could be cut given a popular website called G-o-o-g-l-e dot c-o-m can find 3.4 million results mentioning Matariki in 0.31 seconds?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: It's good to see the member has diversified his Google searches away from his own name. But I do think that Matariki is a holiday that New Zealand should be proud of and I have no issue with us spending a very modest amount of money helping to promote Matariki understanding of what Matariki is and New Zealanders' celebration of it.David Seymour: Will he stand and tell this House that every single one of the 15458 extra fulltime-equivalent bureaucrats his Government takes on have added value for New Zealand taxpayers; and if so can those results be found where—in health education safer streets or maybe the cost of living?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: That includes people protecting our border so that we don't end up with things like Mycoplasma bovis for example—an area where we might have under-invested in the past. It includes the case officers working at Work and Income who are getting record numbers of people off benefits and into work. It includes teacher aides who work with some of our most vulnerable children and particularly those with additional learning needs. It includes the social workers who work through Oranga Tamariki with some of our most vulnerable children. I could go on—it includes people working in the corrections system and I note the member himself is promoting to employ even more people in the corrections system so he can lock more people up. The member might like to call those people "bureaucrats"; I don't agree with that characterisation.David Seymour: After six years of spending $50 billion a year more than when he started—with no demonstrable results just spending—can the Minister honestly deny that he is not leading the "coalition of klutz"?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The Government is delivering results for the extra spending for New Zealanders."