Finance Minister Bill English this morning stood by the printer as it fired out copies of his zero Budget - but the print-run photo op may become a thing of the past as the Government goes digital.
This year’s Budget, for the first time, will be distributed to media on USB sticks and CDs with printed copies given only to MPs, Parliamentarians and a few bookshops.
The changes mean the annual media frenzy around the printing press may become a thing of the past.
Mr English says the Government is keeping up with technological change by reducing the number of copies being printed.
“The fact is that momentum in technological change is picking up reasonably rapidly and the way the budget is produced is reflecting that.”
He even signalled that MPs may stop getting a printed copy of the Budget next year.
“If we did a user survey [of MPs] and asked them how many actually read it, we might find it is pretty low and if it is pretty low, then we might stop printing it,” says Mr English.
The new digital measures, which include an app for smartphones and tablets, will save the Government around $100,000, he says.
Watch the video for footage of Mr English with the limited printed copies of the Budget.
3 News