Parmar Parmjeet: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParmar Parmjeet: General Debate[Sitting date: 16 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6685. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr PARMJEET PARMAR (National): We have nearly finished the first year of this Government’s third term and I am really proud to be part of this National Government. It is a privilege and an honour to be in Government and what has really resonated with people is the Government’s policies for helping families to thrive and helping children to get the best possible start to their lives so that they can go on and become leaders in their communities.Under this National Government under the strong stable and caring leadership of the Rt Hon John Key—yes the strong stable and caring leadership of the Rt Hon John Key. It is the leadership that understands the aspirations of all communities—yes all communities including migrant communities. Migrant communities include Chinese Indians and all ethnic-sounding surnames. Lydia Ko according to the Labour Party would be a foreigner. Danny Lee according to the Labour Party would be a foreigner. But for us they are very much Kiwis and we are very proud of their achievements.We do not care about people’s last names. We do not see their last names. What we care about and what we focus on is that children are achieving in school. We are focused on making sure that we are tackling crime. We are focused on making sure that patients are being treated effectively and rapidly in our health care system.Hon Annette King: Oh! Tell that to the ones missing out.Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: Yes. We are a much more resilient country than we were 7 years ago. We are in a much better position than we were in 7 years ago to face global challenges and our long-term prospects remain strong.We are building strong international trade and investment connections and that is helping us diversify our economy and create more and higher-paying jobs. My background in science and business reflects my passion for learning and innovation and I am really proud of the work that the Prime Minister and the Hon Steven Joyce are doing in the field of science and innovation. I am really proud that this National Government understands that science and innovation is vital to drive productivity to increase output to create more and higher-paying jobs and to build strong and sustained economic growth. That is why despite the tight financial times this National Government is continuously investing in science and research. Yes our investment in science and research has gone up by 70 percent since 2007-08.Andrew Bayly: How much?Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: 70 percent.Andrew Bayly: 70 percent.Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: Yes it is a significant increase compared with the previous Labour Government and this is because we understand the dynamics of science-based innovation and its importance to industrial research and development management.We are keen to stimulate research to get new insights into the exciting and multifaceted field of science-based innovation. We understand the importance of nanotechnology in water purification in the pharmaceutical industry and in disease diagnosis. We also understand the importance of biotechnology in human and animal health in fisheries management in reducing biodiversity loss and in reducing the spread of infectious diseases. We also understand the utility of biotechnology in agriculture and that is why this year we have invested $7.3 million in an agricultural research partnership. This is for an industry-led project to improve the performance of livestock farming in order to improve the profitability productivity and environmental sustainability of New Zealand’s farming system.This is just an example of the kind of work that this National Government has been doing. But on the other side the Labour Party and the Green Party want to abolish those grants. Those members want to bring in a number of taxes. They want to put up the personal tax rate. They want to increase the carbon tax rate to five times—Hon Annette King: Rubbish!Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: Yes they want to bring in a new water tax and they also want to bring in a capital gains tax depending on their new leader.But this side will continue to invest in our innovative Kiwi businesses and our scientists to help them get their ideas out from their labs and into the market. We will continue to support our innovative Kiwi businesses to start up new companies. We will keep supporting them to launch and grow. That in turn will help us grow our export revenue and will also create more and higher-paying jobs. I am really proud to be part of this National Government. Thank you.