Jones Shane: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Jones Shane: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:640;Page:10396] 
SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 Aotearoa please wake up! What we heard from Chris Tremain was a speech that started with some promise but got lost in labyrinths of figures that were beyond the capacity of that speaker who is really more interested in apples sunshine and the likelihood of an earthquake striking Hawke’s Bay. 
Of course the earthquake—emotional—is actually striking National. While Labour members were out toiling in the field working amongst our electors the earthbound—or sheep-dipped—Mr English of Dipton was reminding the people of New Zealand both that he was parsimonious. He would not allow the confidence and reassurance that old people and people of the middle-aged sector are beginning to feel as a consequence of our Budget to take root. Mr English chooses to make fun of his own leader in the media at every opportunity when he speaks publicly. He harbours ongoing unrequited desires to actually be the leader one day. Fortunately for the country that day will never come to pass as there is a new group of people. Although that was a lacklustre speech from the member from Hawke’s Bay Chris Tremain the man may very well emulate the feats of his father and rise to great heights in the National Party. 
Anyhow let us talk about what we are actually delivering in this Budget. KiwiSaver does two things. First it is an overdue contribution to strengthening the capital markets of New Zealand at a time when we suffer the depredations of our friends in Australia. Mr English and Mr Key take every available opportunity to scare people away telling them Australia is so much better and showing an absence of patriotism whilst at the same time promising to have a remedy better than that of our side of the House. But what really puzzles us is why Mr English has chosen at a time when National has absolutely no policy—it fears to crystallise any of its thinking as to what its policies will be—to remind everyone National is not to be trusted in the area of superannuation. 
Thank goodness for Dr Cullen’s stewardship of our Budget. We have continued to maintain surpluses. In addition we have a net positive situation in relation to debt. Of course that will disappear if Mr Key has the opportunity to turn into reality his unfolding and drivelling rhetoric. Any time two dogs five women and three cats are to be found together they are forced to listen to Mr Key talking about how the economy is under-leveraged. This man wanders around talking to rat catchers and various other characters from local government—who ought to stop meeting with him and attacking the Government and go home and deal with the floods in Northland—and he continues to tell them they need to go out and raise debt. So the situation we have created which is now a model of great pride and some envy throughout the world with moderate levels of debt would be overturned if Mr Key had his way. 
But of course at the same time he is reminded by Dr Smith—Dr Lockwood Smith; anything he is reminded of by Nick Smith he should immediately forget and put into the dust heap of history—that additional expenditure will not help the situation because we have productivity constraints. There is not a single thing to be heard from either of those two men as to how productivity constraints might be dealt with which is what we do in this Budget with our ongoing investment in making business more efficient reducing the tax burden and improving the opportunities for research and capital development. That is what productivity problems require in terms of a remedy. 
So local government regional government and central government will all suffer high levels of debt if Mr Key has his way. Fortunately the sheep-dipped earthbound Mr English will probably prevent that from happening. I must confess that when I hear Mr English speak about economics I am reminded of my padre’s story about the Munchkins from Kansas. His type of economics is small it is insular and it defies reality because at one level he will not moderate the spending ambitions of his colleagues whilst Mr Key wanders around promoting—[ 
Interruption 
] Yes that is a brilliant analogy. I salute the clever Dr Cullen for reminding the country— 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: It was Bill English— 
SHANE JONES 
: No Mr English makes these obscure half-baked comments thinking we will not pick up on them. Dr Cullen has reminded the country that whilst Mr English is earthbound Mr Key is in outer space. I could say he has gone intergalactic and he is beyond Uranus. Kia ora tatou.