Smith Lockwood: General Debate 
Smith Lockwood: General Debate 
[Volume:631;Page:3150] 
Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH (National—Rodney) 
: 
 I say to the Hon David Benson-Pope who has just resumed his seat that the only way Labour has any chance of winning the next election is by trying to get rid of this Opposition. That will not be very easy. I ask him what pride there is in someone who bullies children in his charge. That member stands up in this House and talks about pride and he has been shown to bully girls and boys in his charge which is a disgrace. 
 Tomorrow Dr Cullen will read his seventh Budget to this Parliament. We would think it should be one of the most important days of the year for the Government—the day of the Budget. This year it has been totally overshadowed by the bungling around a leak that has wiped over $2 billion off the equity owned by ordinary men and women in this country. It has been overshadowed by the fact that the Minister of Communications David Cunliffe has been referred to the Securities Commission for a possible insider knowledge leak through the wholesale news service to wholesalers in our stock market that wiped another $200 million off the equity owned by ordinary men and women in New Zealand. Those scandals will totally overshadow the reading of Dr Cullen’s seventh Budget tomorrow. 
Dr Michael Cullen may also explain why his New Zealand Superannuation Fund has been the biggest seller of Telecom shares in recent times. Something has a fairly bad odour about it there; we cannot help but wonder whether some of the people in this Labour Government might have said things either advertently or inadvertently to some of their mates involved with the New Zealand Superannuation Fund that led to a rather large sell-down of the shares in Telecom held by that fund. Dr Cullen may care to advise us what has gone on there. 
Only a few days ago the Australian Budget was read by the centre-right Liberal Government of Australia. It announced tax cuts and everyone said that would be great for Australia for the economy and for Australian people. They said that was a great way to attract more skilled people to Australia. Everyone said that Budget was great because it made Australia more competitive. And what will happen tomorrow here in New Zealand? Why do New Zealanders not deserve that kind of thing? Why do New Zealanders not deserve to have the chance to say it is great that their hard work has finally been recognised by their Government sharing some of the dividend with them and cutting their taxes? But oh no this Labour Government will not do that. It now collects 50 percent more tax in dollar of the day terms— 
Craig Foss 
: What? 
Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH 
: —50 percent more tax than when it came into office just over 6 years ago. The Government is collecting half as much tax again as it collected then. 
Dr Cullen says we cannot reduce taxes and people earning $60000 a year should pay our top tax rate—despite the fact that that rate cuts in far earlier than in almost any other OECD country. But what is absurd about it is this: Dr Cullen says on the one hand people on $60000 a year are so wealthy that they should pay our top tax rate yet on the other hand this Labour Government says those people are so poor that if they have three children they should receive in benefits a year excluding the accommodation supplement $6752 of handouts. How can the Government say on the one hand that those people are so wealthy they should pay the top tax rate and on the other hand if they have three dependent children they are so poor that we have to give them back more than $100 a week in benefits? That is absurd! The Government says those people are so wealthy that they must pay the top tax rate yet it also says they are so poor that the Government is to give them over $6700 a year in handouts and benefits. That is just absurd! 
Do members know what one of the most disgusting things will be in tomorrow’s Budget? It is that the Working for Families package looks after New Zealanders who earn from about $40000 to $60000 or more of income a year and who have kids. But the people who have really missed out because Labour knew helping them would not buy it any more votes are the women on the domestic purposes benefit earning $10000 to $25000 of income a year. Those women are trying to get off the domestic purposes benefit—and this rapacious Labour Government takes 92 percent of every extra dollar they earn. It has crapped on its own supporters.