The Deputy Prime Minister appears to be pushing ahead with an implementation unit without any idea of what that unit
will actually deliver, Shadow Treasurer Andrew Bayly says.
“It remains unclear what this implementation unit will actually do, other than add another layer of taxpayer-funded
bureaucracy to the public service in Wellington. Grant Robertson didn’t have any satisfying answers when quizzed about
this in Parliament today.
“If the Deputy Prime Minister isn’t sure where to start, National has a few ideas. How about Labour’s KiwiBuild
disaster, which was supposed to have delivered 16,000 houses by June but has only managed about 870.
“Labour could also do something about the light rail debacle in Auckland that was meant to be up and running between the
CBD and Mt Roskill by now but hasn’t even started.
“There’s also the housing shortage, the Government’s failure to lift 100,000 children out of poverty, as promised, and
poor delivery on mental health that could do with some attention.
“The reality is, this implementation unit is a big vote of no confidence by Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson in the
ability of Labour’s other Cabinet Ministers to do their jobs properly.
“The Key and English governments did not need an implementation unit to get things done, nor did the Helen Clark-led
Labour Government either. They pushed their Ministers to do their jobs properly.
“Perhaps if Grant Robertson had established this unit back in 2017, Labour’s big election promises wouldn’t be in such
tatters now.”