The Government is trying to pass legislation under urgency which would make the Anadarko Amendment - which limits protest at sea - apply to an additional 1.7 million square kilometres, the Green Party said today.

Contrary to Green Party claptrap that more and better roads don’t reduce congestion, Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee today welcomed further evidence they do.

"And what’s more, private and commercial vehicle operating costs are falling along with emissions," Mr Brownlee says.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says Labour is continuing its campaign to mislead the public and undermine confidence in the Police.

"Our Police deserve praise for making our communities safer and for the drop in crime in each of the past three years," says Mrs Tolley.

New Zealand First is disappointed at the Government sneaking through a piece of legislation, which will breach the rights of disabled adults and their family members.

"They should be ashamed of themselves," says Disability Issues spokesperson, Barbara Stewart.

Government spending increases for some services for older people will help, but do not go far enough, according to Age Concern New Zealand.

That the Government can find $40 million to help fund private schools but won’t spend just a third of that to feed hungry kids is nothing short of obscene, Labour's spokesperson for Children, Jacinda Ardern, says.

Hutt Valley’s two city councils will ask residents for their views on the future of regional governance in a combined consultation beginning on Tuesday 28 May.

New Zealand First says that cuts to Customs and Biosecurity in the Budget will create gaping holes in New Zealand’s defences against foreign pests and diseases.

Heavy-handed tactics being used against some overseas student loan borrowers will do nothing to encourage them to come home, start paying their loans, and contribute to New Zealand's future, says Labour's Tertiary Education spokesperson, Megan Woods.

The latest surge in businesses’ electricity costs highlights the failure of the current electricity market and the need for the introduction of NZ Power to bring down electricity prices, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

The Government is charging New Zealanders up to $2 billion more in ACC levies than it needs to so it can create the illusion of a surplus, says Labour’s ACC spokesperson Sue Moroney.

The Government’s power hungry approach is causing its housing policy to unravel before the ink on the Budget is dry, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford.

The Budget’s projection that house prices will rise between 23 percent and 46 percent by 2017 exposes the National Government’s lack of action on affordable housing, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today.

A bill to create the right environment to support the growth of the social housing sector and ensure housing assistance is focused on those with the highest need passed its first reading in Parliament today.

National’s plan to tinker with land supply is an epic fail in the eyes of tens of thousands of New Zealanders desperately trying to buy their first home, says Labour Leader David Shearer.

Budget 2013 has been a major disappointment for our Police and a backwards step in building safer communities, Labour’s Police spokesman Kris Faafoi said today.

"There is nothing in the Budget for Police, in fact it is an ominous sign of tougher times ahead under National.

Budget figures released yesterday show the Government knows it will fail to meet its 2011 election promise to New Zealanders of 170,000 new jobs, but amazingly it has repeated the promise for the next four years, Grant Robertson Labour Employment Spokesperson says.

Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the Government will invest $136 million over the next four years to complete the School Network Upgrade Project (SNUP) by 2016 - two years ahead of schedule.

New Zealand First has accused the Government of stripping critical education dollars from mainstream schooling for pet projects.

The New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) welcomes the increased spending in health announced in today’s Budget, particularly measures to support the most vulnerable in the community, such as the $92 million to pay family members who care for their disabled adult children.