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Funding for the aged care sector has increased by $131 million, or 17 percent, over the last two years. Funding has reached a record $896 million (ex GST) this year, reflecting the importance the Labour-led government places on the health of older people.
We have invested in a host of initiatives, from aged residential care to disability support and home-based support services. This Government is also progressively removing the much-hated asset testing introduced under National.
Older people are sending a clear message to the Government.
People are telling us they do not want to go into rest homes or dementia units early. They want to stay in their own homes and be better supported. Older New Zealanders have told us what they want and we have responded.
There have also been huge improvements to surgical services for the elderly, with a doubling of orthopaedic surgery announced in last year's Budget, as well as a 50 percent increase in cataract surgery announced in this year's Budget.
The Law and Order Select Committee, of which I am a member, has called for submissions on the Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill.
The Bill amends the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 to:
- raise the drinking age from 18 to 20 years
- strengthen provisions relating to the supply of liquor to minors
- provide a statutory restriction on broadcast liquor advertising before 10pm on any day
- extend the jurisdiction of the Broadcasting Standards Authority to include broadcast liquor advertising issues that are currently dealt with by the Advertising Standards Authority.
Several people interested in this Bill have contacted my offices, with the main focus being on whether or not the legal drinking age should again be raised to 20.
Submissions close Friday, 12 August 2005 but please remember submissions to select committees generally become public.
Another Bill of interest to Wairarapa is the Geographical Indications (Wines and Spirits) Registration Bill.
The Bill updates the Geographical Indications Act 1994 and introduces a registration system for recognising and protecting geographical indications for wine and spirits.
A geographical indication indicates that a wine or spirit comes from a specific geographical origin and possesses a particular quality, reputation or other characteristic that arises from that place of origin. Famous international examples include Champagne for sparkling wine and Scotch for whiskey.
Proposed changes are aimed at streamlining the process for registering geographical indications and providing greater certainty for users of registered geographical indications.
Registration will be voluntary and existing measures to ensure truthfulness in labelling, such as the Fair Trading Act 1986, will continue to apply.
New Zealand's reputation as a producer of quality wines is growing all the time and increasingly our customers, overseas and domestically, are recognising distinctions between our wines from different regions, such as Wairarapa, Marlborough and Hawke's Bay.
A government discussion document just released outlines proposals for fairer, more consistent rules on taxing income from collective funds and offshore portfolio share investments.
Current rules tend to overtax investors (particularly those who have lower tax rates), advantage certain forms of offshore investment and favour investment in some countries over investment in others.
The discussion document seeks feedback on changes to reduce inconsistencies, remove disincentives for domestic investment through managed funds and reduce the differences in how income from offshore shares is taxed.
The document is published at www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz and submissions close on 30 September.
My thanks to everyone who gave Finance Minister Michael Cullen such a warm welcome when he visited on June 24. He enjoyed his time with down-to-earth Kiwis and was especially pleased to be able to travel right through the electorate to Dannevirke.
Finally Don Brash's constant attacks on an ever-growing number of New Zealanders makes his pitch to "mainstream New Zealand" alarmingly narrow.
Don Brash keeps telling us that he stands for mainstream New Zealand. What that means is that Don Brash stands against couples without children, working mothers, public servants, cultural industries, members of unions, new New Zealanders, Māori, single parents and New Zealanders who are homosexual.
This excludes at least 1.7 million people so far from "mainstream New Zealand".
Who's left in Don Brash's mainstream New Zealand? He seems to have a fixed idea of who mainstream New Zealanders are, but he won't front up and tell us. Just as with tax policy, National continues to be fuzzy on the detail and big on the talk.
This is classic smear politics and is line with Brash's billboards, which imply that if you're a member of an Iwi, you aren't a Kiwi. National's only hope in this election is to stir-up resentment and division.
Labour will continue to work for all New Zealanders. That's the responsibility that comes with government.
National will continue to play on the fears of the few, and that's the weakness that will confine them to the opposition benches.
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