David
CUNLIFFE
Finance Spokesperson

5 July 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT
National lacks boldness and courage

Growth under National has become so low that it is now worse than forecast in Budget 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Cunliffe.

“New Zealand needs a bold and courageous plan to get our economy moving and to create jobs, so Kiwis can believe strongly again in their own future,” David Cunliffe said.
“Even if there’s modest growth in this week’s GDP figures for the March quarter, that won’t conceal the fact that National still has no plan to grow the economy and improve the quality of life for Kiwis.

“And it will be of little comfort for the tens of thousands of Kiwis who have lost jobs in the past two-and-a-half years, to Kiwi families who are struggling to make ends meet from one week to the next, or to those facing a mortgagee sale.

“That’s why Labour will campaign in this election for our country’s future with a long-term and coherent plan for the economy, including investment in R and D and a real emphasis on skills training,” David Cunliffe said.

“National’s only idea is to sell off assets that New Zealanders currently own, and if they get the opportunity to do that, this will mean those assets and the dividends they generate for Kiwis will be gone for good.

“Nothing Bill English or John Key has said has convinced Kiwis that once the process of privatising our state-owned assets begins, that these assets won’t eventually end up in foreign hands. We’ll never be able to buy them back again,” David Cunliffe said.

“Once our energy companies are answerable to foreign shareholders interested in maximising profits, nothing is more certain than that Kiwi interests will come second-best.

“Labour won’t shy away from making bold economic decisions that allow us to keep our assets,” David Cunliffe said. “Our economic plan will be coherent and courageous, and it will be fair to the vast majority of Kiwis.”

ENDS

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