Estimates Debate — Vote Research, Science and Technology

I want to make just a brief comment about research, science, and technology and Crown research institutes, which will be dear to the heart of Mr Williamson, who does know something about this area as opposed to not knowing anything about housing. As National’s housing spokesperson, though, it would be useful if Mr Williamson did get to know his portfolio a little more than he does at present.

💬 Hon Maurice Williamson: I’m not the housing spokesperson.

Well, who is the National Party spokesperson on housing? I say to Mr Williamson that I am afraid I do not think anybody in the country knows.

But let me return briefly to the issues of research, science, and technology and Crown research institutes. One of the interesting parts of this estimates debate is the fact that research, science, and technology and Crown research institutes have attracted no attention at all from Opposition parties. I think that is a real shame.

If we look at the formula for what we believe will be the future of this country, we see that it is clearly growth through innovation. How is that innovation driven? Obviously, it is driven through science, technology, research, education—those kinds of issues. Yet, time and time again, this Parliament does not see the kind of debate on research, science, and technology that it should.

I am sure that in this case Mr Williamson would join me in arguing that we do need to ensure that New Zealanders understand that their taxpayers’ dollars going into research, science, and technology will be the best investment they can make with those dollars, as long as we ensure that we are putting them into the right place. Since Labour has been in Government we have increased that investment by 56 percent, but one of the things I find as I travel around the country is that far too—[Interruption] No, not in the social sciences, as Mr Williamson is suggesting—too little. I am arguing that it would be very useful if the whole House were to begin to debate more about the research, science, and technology area.

The enthusiasm shown by Mr Williamson for the topic we are raising this evening is what should lead him and his party to start showing a lot more interest in this particular topic. I say to members of parties elsewhere around the House—New Zealand First, the ACT party, and United Future—parties that have raised issues on almost every other estimate, that I want them to begin to think about this particular vote. We have to convince New Zealanders that this is the investment we need to make. [Interruption]

Mr Shane Ardern says there is nothing there. I remind him that this vote, for example, had the single biggest increase for health research in the history of the health research vote. Overall, it was the single biggest change in—

💬 Hon Ken Shirley: I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. The purpose of the estimates debate is for members to grill Ministers on the various votes. No member chose to take a call, yet we are all being subjected to this tirade from the Minister in the chair. It is actually against the purposes of the estimates debate.

The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson): The Minister is perfectly entitled to take a call in the debate, as the member himself well knows. That is not a point of order.

I understand Mr Shirley’s frustration. He will not have many opportunities to express it again. But I tell him that I do have the right to rise in a debate like this and simply make the point that all parties are invited to start debating the issue of science, research, and technology, because if we as parliamentarians do not raise the profile of this particular debate, then the people out there in New Zealand cannot be blamed for thinking that it is not one of the more important parts of the Budget we spend each year.

Research, science and technology is a vital part of our Budget. We do not debate it enough. We as a Parliament ought to be pushing up its profile, and I would like to think that the next time we have a debate around research, science, and technology and the Crown research institutes, we will have a much healthier and wide-ranging debate on the estimates.

Vote agreed to.

Vote Social Development