Nicola Willis and her use of the words hole and sausage could be deemed lewd on the one hand but entirely appropriate on the other. This lady is someone I am growing to very much like as a finance minister as she is growing into the role. It is easy to say anyone would be better than her predecessor but that would be an insult. She is showing the economic nous that has been sorely missing for the last six years. I believe her to be resonating with the public: the noises she is making will be welcomed by many.
Nicola is leaving us in no doubt that fiscal responsibility is the government’s number one priority, along with targets and accountability. She is very much telling us that the government is aware that it is OUR money they are spending and therefore the effective spend of every dollar counts. This is a real breath of fresh air. This is what we voted for. This is not borrow and hope. This is not wasteful spending on ridiculous ideological projects nobody wants or working groups or masses of consultants.
The real mess the country is in was highlighted last Wednesday. The economic outlook over the last three months has deteriorated markedly. The day of reckoning has arrived. According to the Taxpayers Union, Crown Tax Revenue over the forecast period is expected to be $1.6 billion lower than the same forecast made just three months ago. The return to surplus in 2027 is wafer thin. In three months it has gone from $2.07 billion to just $140 million. Economic growth is slowing, and GDP per capita is declining. Productivity is hitting a wall.
Is it possible to arrest someone for causing grievous bodily harm to the economy? Can you charge someone with economic vandalism? If it were possible, Robertson would be convicted on both counts. He has the gall to stand up in the House and say the economy is strong, has done better than most countries we measure ourselves by and that productivity has increased by seven per cent. These statements simply don’t stack up with the figures just released. The man is predictably, bearing in mind his background, a financial ignoramus.
“How big is his hole” was, in hindsight, a very fair question. And the answer: a bloody sight bigger than most of us, including Nicola, realised. It is so gaping it will not be filled in one term of government. The concrete fix is a long term one and a lot of pain will be inflicted on the country during the pouring. I have no doubt that had Labour been re-elected this country would have ended up on life support. Borrow and spend is not a path to prosperity.
The “size of the sausage is what counts, not how it is delivered” (bless the dear lady) is vitally important to a path to prosperity. What we now have to hope for is that the pain is worth the gain. I have great confidence. I go back to Shane Jones’s first speech in this Parliament. He said to stand by for the introduction of the fast track, including oil, gas and mining. “If there is a blind frog in the way, then goodbye Freddie.” As he said, this is what brings wealth and prosperity. More fresh air or perhaps a tornado to the Greens who probably saw the ‘tirade’ as the environment being blown to bits.
I note the left have dropped their references to the ‘Coalition of Chaos’. They have no doubt witnessed the unity of purpose on the government benches. No doubt a second term is in the offing. People voted for change and this is undoubtedly what they are getting. As a result there will be pain, for which we mustn’t complain. The direction has been set and there must be no veering off course. In this regard I am pleased both David and Winston are in the tent. Their sense of purpose, as well as their unity and ability, shows them, along with Christopher, all to be ‘happy campers’.
There are many bills aimed at sorting the ‘hole and the sausage’ to come. The skewering of Labour’s nonsense policies has already started. The bonfire (Hipkins seemed unable to light his) has been lit. The Beehive matches have been found. The flames need to burn for some time. The burnt remains are symbolic with, and represent, what is left of the Labour Party. A sad relic of its former self.
