Budget $600m already revealed

Michael Cullen will deliver his second Budget today. VERNON SMALL outlines what we know, and what to look for.

Michael Cullen has billed today's Budget as a fiscally tight document, short on surprises and slanted towards economic change rather than social issues.

Far from being a document veiled in secrecy, much has been announced or well-semaphored in the lead up to the big day.

New social spending will not be the big thing this year. Health, in particular, will start to feel the pinch as funding lags behind inflation for the first time for many years.

But inflation, state sector pay rises and population growth always gobble up much of the available cash, even without new measures. Child, Youth and Family is expected to get a significant dollop of new money, however.

Look out for long-term efforts to "transform the economy" through education and training, using talented New Zealanders here and overseas, venture capital funds and a long list of regional development ideas.

Plans for some of the $600 million available for initiatives have been released.

They include:

* $4.9 million for implementing recommendations from the Tourism NZ strategy, including $338,000 for Maori tourism ($1 million over three years) and $600,000 for tourism research.

* $2.8 million more over four years for the Commissioner for Children's office.

* Unspecified amounts for programmes to treat repeat driving offenders, drug and alcohol abuse.

* An estimated $22 million over four years to pay for longer sentences for the worst offenders.

* The first part of an extra $300 million spread over five years for defence.

* $150,000 towards organic gardens in urban schools.

* $500,000 to promote environmental awareness in schools.

* $10 million over four years for a conservation awareness programme.

* $100,000 to establish minimum standards for organic food production.

* $150,000 for a small organic growers development programme.

* $50,000 to help environmental groups make submissions to an environmental strategy for fisheries.

* $362,000 to survey eradication of two freshwater fish pests.

* $550,000 to control the Asian seaweed Undaria.

* $200,000 over two years for a sewage handbook for local authorities and communities.

* $7 million over four years to collect agriculture and horticultural statistics.

* A new national park on Stewart Island.

* An overall increase of $8.27 million for the Department of Conservation this year, including the first instalment of $16 million spread over three years to improve visitor facilities such as huts and toilets.

* An overall $6 million extra, and a further $2 million in 2002-03, for the Environment Ministry.

* $24.7 million for the anti-TB strategy.

* $4.6 million for the campaign to fight foot-and-mouth disease.

* An extra $1 million to implement the new hazardous substances law.

* $100,000 for community internship programmes.

* $1 million for schools to join administration support clusters.

* $700,000 for regional development in Northland.

* $1.3 million for a new export education strategy.