Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Today, Treasury have released the Crown accounts for the four months to October. The operating balance before gains and losses deficit for the year to October 2020 was $3.8 billion, but this is against a forecast deficit of nearly $9 billion at the recent pre-election fiscal update. Core Crown expenses were 4.3 percent lower than expected, while core Crown revenue was 10 percent higher than forecast at the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU). It's interesting to note that revenue was higher than forecast from wages, company taxation, and GST, illustrating the stronger employment, GDP, and consumer confidence data we have seen in recent months. These figures show the continued resilience of the New Zealand economy despite the global COVID-19 slow-down. They also demonstrate the continued prudent management of the Government's books and careful control of Government spending.