Debt is fast becoming one of the most significant and growing issues facing our country. The pre-election Budget had no single year where a surplus was forecast; just deficits for the next 14 years. That's 14 years of debt being piled on top of debt. That's a mountain of debt. At the start of this year, New Zealand had $65 billion of debt; now it's $94 billion of debt, and by 2024 the forecast is that there will be $200 billion of debt. It all adds up to a future where, as a percentage of our total economy, Government debt is higher than any time since the 1930s, higher than the levels we experienced even in the 1980s when New Zealand narrowly avoided financial crisis. This is the future that Labour will leave for the next generation. There is no money left when the next crisis hits, whether it's 10, 15, or 20 years from now. Lax spending today will burden future generations with higher taxes and lower incomes, and people across New Zealand all have to be careful with their money, and their Government should be as well. 