David Shearer
Labour Leader

24 May 2012

National delivers a ‘departure lounge’ Budget

National has delivered a Budget that will have more New Zealanders heading for airport departure lounges as they look for opportunities and a brighter future offshore, says Labour Leader David Shearer.

“This truly is a zero Budget. It has zero growth and zero aspiration for New Zealanders. It offers zero hope that it will grow our economy now or in the years ahead. It fails to make the tough choices.

“John Key and Bill English claim this Budget is about giving Kiwis ‘confidence in uncertain times’. That’s just a slogan from a couple of confidence tricksters who keep making promises that they don’t deliver on.

“National keeps promising growth without doing anything to encourage it – the political equivalent of putting a seed on a windowsill and wishing it into a forest. Last year, they promised 4% growth. Today they’ve cut it to 2.6%.

“They’ve promised year after year that there will be more jobs. Last year, the figure was 170,000 more over four years. Now it’s 16,000 fewer than that.

“Just two days ago, John Key promised that exports were rising under National. Today, new figures show exports in fact fell $799 million or 17% compared to April last year.

“National promised a brighter future. They keep saying the good times are just around the corner. But they never arrive.

“What we’ve got instead is the worst growth in 50 years, more than 50,000 Kiwis fleeing to Australia and a 50% increase in unemployment.

“Kiwis are tired of National’s excuses. The government blames earthquakes, global financial woes and even other politicians for its failure to deliver. No one should make promises they can’t keep. It’s time to take responsibility.

“Reaching surplus is important. Labour is committed to doing that. But it can’t be the only focus. We need to grow our country for the benefit of all Kiwis.

“Labour will support our exporters and help Kiwis get the education and skills they need to seize the job opportunities of a 21st century economy. We will invest in science and innovation to create more high-wage businesses and make it easier for Kiwis to save for their retirement.

“Labour will provide the strong economic leadership needed to give hard-working Kiwis the future they deserve and a reason to stay,” said David Shearer.

ENDS

© Scoop Media