Winston's Oscars steal the show

By FRANCESCA MOLD political reporter

And the Oscar goes to ... Winston Peters!

The Budget day limelight usually belongs to the Finance Minister and Leader of the Opposition, but it was Winston Peters who made the most of the theatre provided by the Budget debate.

The New Zealand First leader handed out cardboard golden Oscars to his favourite Government ministers. In his version of the Hollywood awards, Oscar stood for Obstinately Self-serving, Carping and Ridiculous.

And the first winner for best adaptation of a responsible Budget was Michael Cullen, for acting as a Labour Finance Minister yet achieving a $4 billion budget surplus while starving social services of cash.

George Hawkins won for starring in the 21st century leaky buildings saga "Leak House" and his role in "Dumb and Dumber" for presiding over New Zealand's only real growth industry - crime.

Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel took home the Pan Asian Congress award for makeup artistry by changing the face of New Zealand through uncontrolled immigration.

"Blackout" Pete Hodgson was nominated by the power companies and Prime Minister Helen Clark starred as political stunt woman in the movie "Free Trade".

Judith Tizard was nominated for miming in her role as the Minister of Auckland - "Can anyone name one thing she has done for Auckland?" asked Mr Peters.

Rodney Hide, chimed in from across the chamber: "She moved to Wellington!"

But while some MPs tapped in to the fun, others took a more serious approach. National leader Bill English went for a medical theme. He thought the Government had a bad case of sclerosis - a thickening in the artery of the economy. It was also plagued by a Sars outbreak (selective amnesia recall syndrome).

The Government had failed to address key issues such as the electricity crisis, road problems and welfare dependency. Did it not know there were "two times Hamilton plus Hawera's" population on the dole.

"No amount of weasel words from Steve Maharey or Helen Clark will change the reality," said Mr English.

"New Zealand has a multi-generational, hard-core problem of welfare dependency and this Government is making it worse."

He thought the Government was being miserable by holding on to a $4 billion surplus instead of giving it back to struggling families and businesses.

"These are the people who pay the bills ... for every politically correct binge, when the Prime Minister uses Air Force One, for every new bureaucrat and programme. And with what's left over they pay for the groceries, the car and save for their retirement."

Act leader Richard Prebble agreed. The surplus and money set aside for the Cullen Super Fund should be given back to taxpayers.

"This is a Budget that is fundamentally unfair to working New Zealanders. It's not what is in the Budget, it's what's not in it" - no tax cuts, nothing to get the economy moving or to deal with traffic and the energy crisis.

Green co-leader Rod Donald thought the surplus was a fraud. It was built on the backs of poverty-stricken children, low-income families and students.

He remarked bitterly that if Labour had done a coalition deal with the Greens instead of United Future, the Budget would have future-proofed the economy, strengthened the country's social fabric and protected the environment.

United Future leader Peter Dunne responded snippily: the Greens clearly couldn't work constructively with the Government because they were voting no confidence in it. United Future had proved that it could help to deliver a stable Government and that small parties could have a strong influence on policies.

United Future's biggest achievement in the Budget was the emphasis on families, which were the glue that held the country together and made New Zealand "the best little country in the world".

The Government's other ally, Progressive Coalition leader Jim Anderton, thought the Budget presented a plan for strong future economic development.

He admitted that his party could not get everything it wanted but it had put its stamp on the Budget with programmes to create jobs.