Kuriger BarbaraBARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki - King Country): Referring to the presentation from the last speaker Meka Whaitiri talking about Labour being full of new ideas—we are actually waiting to hear some. We have really worked hard through this Budget process we are really ambitious—the National Government is totally ambitious for New Zealand—and I am going to give you some examples today of where this Budget has been really set around people. At the end of the day in politics all we do is deal with things that work for the people we represent.One of the first things that was reinforced pre-Budget was the trade agenda and launching a renewed focus on that trade agenda. At the end of the day we do not have closed borders and 74 percent of our income still relies on the fact that we export so it is really important that we reinforce what is going on with trade. We are looking at getting 90 percent of our products and services into free-trade agreements by 2030. But what is more important than that—we can do that—is we have set up extra funding to go into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to look at areas of non-tariff barriers. Often you can get the trade agreements but then when you go to get products into countries you often end up with excuses at the back door; things we have not thought of. So we actually need an office that is going to help our exporters fight their way through those non-tariff barriers and attain more market access for us. I think that is pretty important.The second thing I think is really important particularly for our country is water. Every day on the agenda in question time and through legislation is water. It is really good to see a capital boost of $63 million towards irrigation in this Budget. Often when we talk about irrigation everyone jumps to: Oh well it's just for the dairy farmers." Well actually it does help the economy. It does help the dairy farmers to a large extent but in times of need such as a drought—such as my colleague Stuart Smith has experienced in his electorate alongside earthquakes and a number of other devastating effects that he has had to put up with—you can actually then use that irrigation water for flushing. It can actually help the fish you can distribute it into the rivers and it stops them from drying out completely—and not only that. Guess what? Towns use water as well. I think the whole thing about capital investment in infrastructure for irrigation helps the whole community and I think it would do us well to remember that and actually think about it wisely not just jump to conclusions about where it is going. It benefits the whole community.The centrepiece of this Budget was the $2 billion a year Family Incomes Package—tax thresholds Working for Families and the accommodation supplement. We have been through a number of years where it has been difficult with earthquakes—I just mentioned earthquakes—and we have actually had a global financial crisis but now we have got some choices. We have got some money and we are able to take it and give it back to our hard-working families. I am really proud to think that a lot of our taxpayers are now going to benefit from this tax package. I want to acknowledge the Greens and New Zealand First along with our partners in Government here for supporting that through because people are very very grateful for having those extra dollars in their pockets.As deputy chair of the Health Committee over the last week or so we have spent quite a few extra hours in the Health Committee talking about the settlement package for the 55000 healthcare workers. It has been a very good process on the way through we have brought it back to the House today and I want to commend everybody for working so constructively right through that process. I cannot think of any better people in our country than those care workers to get a boost in their pay packets. They turn up at people's houses and they are dealing with people who have disabilities elderly people people who are very frail and people who are sick and quite often a lot of those people want to stay in their own homes. To do that we need a dedicated team of care workers and I want to commend the team on working so strongly to get that Budget legislation back to the House so that we can get on with it and pay them.The other group of people who are going to benefit are New Zealand superannuitants who are expecting their income to be topped up to $622 a week for a married couple. That is up around $22 a week more. They have earned it they have paid tax all their lives and it is really good to see them getting something back out of this Budget.On the theme of people—everything we have done so far is about people—I think the best thing about this whole package is the money that is now going into social investment. It is something that we have trouble getting across to the House in terms of getting people on the other side to understand what we are doing. Traditionally and historically over a range of Governments over many many years for a long time when we did not have a choice we had paper-based silos of Government departments. Everything was paper-based nothing could really be shared—never the twain shall meet—and they did not have the opportunity of talking to one another. Now they do; we have a digital way we have technology that has enabled us to create a database. So if we have got young people at risk we can ask ourselves whether it is a health issue whether it is an education issue whether it is a family violence issue whether it is a social housing issue or whether it is hearing and the needs of that person need to come first. I commend the money that has gone into social investment and I totally support that area.The National Government is about giving people a hand-up; teaching them ways of doing things for themselves breaking those cycles where three generations of some families have never worked. It is all very well for people to say: "Well look you've just got to get that young person and tell them they have to go to work." but for some people the reality is that they do not know what that means. So we have to get in early we have to work with them and we have to work with the services and wrap them around their families. I think it is really important.We talk about $81.8 million going into community corrections and prisoner rehabilitation. I have Waikeria Prison in my electorate and recently I went along and spent about 4 hours there. Apart from giving certificates out to those officers who had done some extremely good work—and they all do—I got to have a look at some of the rehabilitation processes that were going on in that prison. We were served coffee by those who were training to be baristas. We went to the bakery where all the bread in that prison is made supplied and fed on a daily basis to the prisoners—so it is about becoming self-sufficient in some ways with certain goods. Also they have got the farms there so it was a real pleasure to go around the farms and have a look at what was going on with some of those prisoners in terms of rehabilitation. So any money spent in that area is certainly well-deserved and well-earned for those people working in corrections. It is no good sending someone out on the street if they are not fully prepared and they have not got the support networks. What I also saw when I was in there is that they have got access to certain websites so they could actually have a look and search for those support services that they can use when they come out of prison—learning how to get a driver's licence learning the road rules and all those sorts of things.I am also really pleased to see $64.4 million to support our young people into employment. I cannot speak highly enough of some of our secondary schools and some mentoring and employment services we have going on where there are 3 days at school and 2 days mentoring. It gives people the opportunity to have a look and see what career they might want to go into but more importantly it teaches them to be work-ready—to get out of bed in the morning to turn up with a smile on their face and to get on with their day and earn some money.Underpinning all that sort of stuff when we talk about social investment it is really good to see $37.2 million more going into family violence. We really do have to solve that issue because it is underpinning a lot of the things that are happening in our society. It is fear and it is the transition to work—so often you see people go out they do good training they learn how to do stuff but it is really tough going back into their families and being the tall poppy. The time that most people who are in corrections or are in that type of training fear is when they go back and are at high risk of coming unstuck again. It is a real pleasure to speak on behalf of the Government on this Budget and I certainly commend this to the House. Thank you."