18 June 2002

Jim Anderton is inviting New Zealanders to compare Don Brash’s actions with his rhetoric, after National’s new finance spokeperson attacked Mr Anderton today.

“Under National’s Don Brash, the average homeowner with a $100,000 mortgage will pay another $100 a month in mortgage interest.

“That is because Don Brash seems to like increasing interest rates. His last act before resigning as Governor of the Reserve Bank was to increase interest rates. He is on record opposing home ownership, and one of the reasons he believes interest rates should be increased is to deter New Zealanders from owning their own homes.

“Today Don Brash claimed ‘There is only one thing that matters when it comes to keeping interest rates down and that is controlling inflation.’ This from someone who repeatedly raised interest rates saying he was doing it to keep inflation down.

As for Dr Brash’s gratuitous comments about my understanding of basic economic concepts, I could well comment on his ability to convince sufficient numbers of electors to vote for him given his record of having lost a safe National Party electorate seat – twice. No wonder he is standing on the National Party list.

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