O'Connor Simon: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Connor Simon: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate[Sitting date: 24 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18802. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SIMON O’CONNOR (National—Tāmaki):It is a delight to speak after the speaker from the Māori Party particularly as he speaks with such pride of his mokopuna. In fact I look forward that she may be here in 20 years’ time sitting behind you as we continue to cooperate between the National Party and the Māori Party.Jacqui Dean: Very optimistic.SIMON O’CONNOR: I am very optimistic yes—very optimistic. I am optimistic because we have heard nothing good from the Opposition speakers—in fact Opposition speakers who are very much in the practice of theory rather than practice itself. We heard from the last speaker from the Māori Party about practice versus theory. There are others particularly those trying to capture the Māori vote who are just about knocking things down and who have very little experience. They just want to throw theory about.What we have heard from the Māori Party in cooperation with the National Government has been real practical gains for this country. We heard about the whole health programme—the fact that if you are up to 13 years of age you can get free health care through your general practitioner. We have heard about the work on rheumatic fever. It was a shocking statistic when we came into Government. It was something that we wanted to address and we cooperated with the Māori Party to bring that about. It is the difference between theory and practice. All we hear from the other side is theory. It is the National Government reality versus a sort of utopian viewpoint if you like particularly from the Green Party although as I begin to think about its policies it is more of a dystopia. It is quite a breakdown.The Opposition talks about being forward-thinking. The only irony particularly from the Green Party but from the Opposition in general is that when it talks about being forward-thinking it is forgetting the lessons of the past. It is from the lessons of the past that we are able to competently move into the future. One need look no further than this whole talk around equality and what is wanting to be pushed forward there. One of the lessons we know from history particularly when it comes to equality and socialism is that socialism—communism is probably more accurate from what we heard from Dr Russel Norman—relies on restraint to bring about its ends in equality. Tocqueville mentioned that. I mention him as I might a few other academics not simply because they are names but they are people who have lived experienced and written about this. We in the current day and age can learn. It is from restraint.The best example is something around transport. We heard a whole lot of talk around transport—more public transport and cars. We are against cars! A society that is based on freedom first and then equality allows people to have the choice. On this side of the House we believe that Kiwis are smart enough and able enough to make the decisions that are best for them and for their families. A restraint model a socialist model decides what is good and what is bad and ultimately makes the choice for other people. The search for a supposed equality in this case say around public transport instantly reduces the freedom of people. Another thinker Milton Friedman of all people said that if you have equality before freedom you get neither. Freedom is ultimately incredibly important and it is something that this Government is focused on.You see this throughout this Government’s policies. It is backing Kiwis to do the best for themselves their families and their community. It is about setting up an environment in both senses of that word—an environment that helps Kiwis prosper now and well into the future. It is about ultimately theory versus practice and on this side of the House it is about walking the talk and not just simply talking. National is promising to do good things and it has been over the last 6 years. The difference in what we have heard today in this discussion and debate is a lot of talk from the other side but no promises being delivered. When we start to look at the economy here in New Zealand we have 2 to 4 percent economic growth over the next 4 years and an economy currently growing at 3.8 percent. We have got a $372 million surplus next year growing to $1.3 billion the year after. These are real facts.What have we heard from the other side? What is Labour’s primary suggestion around growth? It is a capital gains tax. I think my colleague Paul Goldsmith put it right. That is the one and only golden policy silver bullet bronze medal idea to try to move this economy forward. Capital gains taxes have not worked overseas. They are unnecessarily complicated and they will not work for years.Hon Annette King: That’s a ridiculous comment.SIMON O’CONNOR: Annette King says that is ridiculous. [Interruption] Exactly! We are back to theory and practice here. Some of us will read the facts and will look overseas. Let us have a look at Australia. We know what works in practice but in the little theoretical world over there—no no—those members say that it is the panacea that will solve all things. It has been the panacea for almost 30 years. And now it is stupid. Now we move into the ad hominem arguments. We really should have just sat down. The predictability of the Labour Party—it is tiresome if not boring.There is $1 billion of dollars of new spending in the Budget. It is not reckless spending. We heard the Minister of Finance note that billions of extra dollars were being spent by the Labour Government before thankfully it went out of Government in 2008. Moving into the unproductive sector is not going to help the economy at all. We have been very prudent in our approach—as I said $1 billion. What do we hear from the left instead? It is about more spending massive spending. The solution to everything is more spending on welfare more spending on superannuation more spending on housing more spending on parental leave more on health more on youth more on Māori and more on the environment—more magic beans for everybody. That is the left’s approach. Taxpayers in this country know that every time there is a push for more it is coming out of hard-working taxpayers’ pockets. That is what they understand.Once again some in the Opposition say we are spending more on roads. Yes we are spending more on roads in cost line and within a budget that is restrained—that is restrained. That is called balancing the budget and working appropriately which is something that Labour never understood in Government and still does not understand. It still does not understand it.We are also seeing the Government working towards a net debt of 26 percent. That is the Crown’s debt. There is a whole issue with private debt from New Zealanders. [Interruption] Oh we have upset the left now. We come right back to that whole theory and practice. They talk a lot but in practice they cannot match the record of this Government. Government debt will peak at about 26 percent and over the next few years will drop down to 20 percent of GDP. That is something we can rightly be proud of. Average wages are going up. They are expected to rise by about $7600 to $62300 by 2018. These are real facts. These are real happenings.On the other side Labour policy basically talks of an arbitrary legislated change. Labour members think this will actually make a real impact. The experts say that if you just arbitrarily raise the rate because some Anglican reverend has come up with an idea it will just cost thousands of jobs. But again the theory is what matters not the practice. They do not care. We want to bring about—actually we have about 170000 new jobs in the next 4 years. What do we hear from the other side particularly from the Greens? We hear talk of a smart Green economy. It sounds nice. It is a good theory. It just does not mean anything. Give us one example of this smart Green economy. In some ways to me it always sounds like we are taking money out of the productive sector and simply putting it into blue-sky research. It is really not smart Green jobs but jobs solely within the academic field. It is just a little nuts.We have invested in education. We know of a lot of the wins we have had here. I am very proud of what has been happening in Tāmaki. I mentioned before the new school buildings we put at St Thomas’s school the work at Selwyn College and so forth. I am happy to report to the House that what we are really proud of lately actually is that one of my schools—Stonefields School—has now got a green star accreditation. That means that the building of this public school is in that high ranking of environmental quality. That is a green school under National. But did we hear anything from the Greens about this? Of course not. The Greens are much better at knocking things down than actually building them up. We on this side are very proud of our environmental record. But also with regard to our cooperative side Stonefields School has just opened a cooperative agreement if you like in the new hub for the Sommerville Special School helping some of our most vulnerable in that area. That is absolutely fantastic.Carol Beaumont: How are the evictions going in Glen Innes north?SIMON O’CONNOR: I am hearing someone from the other side yelling about Glen Innes. We have an incredibly proud record there as new homes are being built. Our people are engaging with the various dental and health initiatives through the schools. They are setting up gardens in the schools. They are positive for their community. And the fundamental difference between this side here and the other is that we go into those communities and we tell them that they are worthwhile they have quality they have opportunities and we are there to support them—not continue to make excuses for them and to hold them down. We are very different.I want to finish on that note because I am conscious that the bell has gone. The Opposition is holding them down in theory and practice.Last week this House almost unanimously passed the Vulnerable Children Bill. I acknowledge the Labour Party’s support for this. It is a bill to protect our young people with things such as screening people who are going to be looking after our kids. Do you know who voted against it? The Greens and Mana. I am absolutely shocked at that behaviour.