Plain English - a weekly update from Bill English
PLAIN ENGLISH - A WEEKLY UPDATE FROM BILL ENGLISH, LEADER OF THE NATIONAL PARTY
Fronting up tour
This week I've set out on a "Fronting Up Tour" of 54 towns in 35 days, visiting hospitals, schools, businesses, and
holding public meetings, reaching out to all parts of the community with our plans to take New Zealand forward. If you'd
watched politics over the last 12 months you'd think there were no issues on voter's minds. That's not what I'm finding
on the road.
I am talking about tougher sentences and more police, our plans to support small business, how we raise standards of
education for every child, and the need to complete historical Treaty claims. I am getting a positive response to
National's willingness to talk about these issues. There is also strong support for our proposal to hold a referendum on
MMP at the 2005 election.
Tour part 2
I held large public meetings in Thames and Hamilton on Wednesday. They work because it gives people a fuller picture
than the 15-second sound bite can ever give. I will do more of them around the country. Wellington politics has
underestimated the level of anxiety about and interest in law and order issues across the community. I have visited two
communities who saw themselves as victims of violent crime, and spent a night with the police to experience how
stretched they are.
Coromandel
It's apparent the Greens are not going to concentrate on this seat. Their decision to campaign for list votes on the GE
issue only means their leader won't be campaigning on local issues. National's candidate Sandra Goudie is coming across
as a strong local advocate. You'll see more of her as media interest grows in this crucial seat.
Tougher sentencing laws
At the 1999 election, 92% of New Zealanders voted for tougher penalties for criminals. Since then, the Labour Party has
introduced a Bill which means rapists and other serious violent criminals are eligible for parole after serving just a
third of their sentence. A rapist sentenced to nine years could be out after serving just three years. Why even bother?
This week, I released our law and order policy. Serious criminals should serve at least two-thirds, not one, of their
sentence before becoming eligible for parole. We will also end automatic parole.
More police on streets
National is also committing to 500 extra frontline police over three years, at a cost of $100 million. Feeling safe in
our communities should not be a privilege - it is a right of all New Zealanders. Police presence prevents crime. We see
them all on the highway, and the police have done a good job of lowering the road toll. Now it's time to extend that
principle to our streets.
Election timing
Helen Clark can't decide on when to have the election. The reasons for going early are becoming clearer - the NZ dollar
is on the charge to 50c US, and along with huge interest rates, this will knock the top off economic confidence.
District Health Boards have been ordered to keep quiet about $200 million in cuts necessary to control hospital
deficits.
Along with teachers' strikes and upcoming nurses strikes, they will undermine Labour's credentials on competence.
Labour's polls will be telling them what we see on the road - National is recovering because we're dealing with the
issues where Labour's credibility is low. In Parliament, the Government has a clear majority without threat - and that's
no reason for an election.
More uncertainty for Air New Zealand
The troubles Air New Zealand has gone through shows the financial incompetence of the Government. Last year, they
refused to let Singapore Airlines invest in Air NZ for purely political reasons. Now, after putting $1 billion of
taxpayer's money into Air NZ, they are considering selling it off cheap to Qantas.
Rural health policy
Health spokesperson Roger Sowry released our rural policy this week, which is aimed at tackling the serious shortage of
doctors in rural areas. We're committing $15 million extra for rural health, which will fund two Rural Medical Training
Centres and help District Health Boards attract GPs. As Health Minister, I introduced the National Hospital Plan, which
committed to maintaining provincial hospitals and rural medical centres so that 85% of the population lives within one
hour of emergency medical services.
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