Contenders for Labour leadership debate for first time

The contenders for the leadership of the Labour Party debated for the first time on TV One’s Q+A programme today.

On winning back voters:

Grant Robertson: “We’re always going to be the party of work and of fairness but work’s changed. And we’ve got to get alongside the courier drivers, the people who are starting the new small businesses and say to them: we back you as well”

David Parker: “We were a party born of working people for working people. And I think people look at the Labour party now and they see that we’re more there for the vulnerable primarily. Now I think that the way to protect the vulnerable is to actually take working New Zealanders with you and be there for them. Meet their aspirations, their needs. Look we’re at the point now where so few people vote for us you are almost ashamed if you are a normal New Zealanders sometimes – that’s a terrible phrase – but too many people were ashamed that they’d be voting labour. I think we have to become friends with the electorate so they would welcome us into their home, offer us a cup of tea or have a beer with us”

Andrew Little “They wanted to hear something that was going to give them a bit of stability, a bit of confidence about the future and that’s not what they heard from us.”

On whether Labour policy needs to change:

Nanaia Mahuta: I believe it is around the issue of a capital gains tax. People who said to me on the campaign trail, you know, we’re modest income earners. All we’ve got is our family home but when we die, our kids already own their home, when we pass it over to them what’s going to happen?”

David Parker: “ I make no apologies for the policy, in fact I think that it’s pretty good policy. The fundamental issues it seeks to address, I think there’s just about universal agreement ..

Corin: “So you failed to sell it?

David Parker: “Yeah I think there’s that. I think we had a few glitches in how we sold it. If upon review we do keep it, you can bet your boots, that if it comes back under me, it won’t ever apply to the family home and it won’t be an inheritance tax.”

Would Labour commit troops to the US led coalition against ISIS?

Grant Robertson said it was “highly unlikely”.

“My view is that the Labour party’s history, our values, points to a very clear stance. We only are involved in these sorts of conflicts where there is a UN mandate. My view is New Zealand is not in a situation where we should be putting troops on the ground.

On coalition partners:

Andrew Little: “I think one of the mistakes we made in this election was not being clear with the electorate with where our likely coalition partners lay.”

Grant Robertson: It’s also important to say who you won’t work with as well, and I think we probably did make a mistake about not being clearer early enough about for instance Internet-Mana”

Q+A, 9-10am Sundays on TV ONE and one hour later on TV ONE plus 1. Repeated Sunday evening at 11:35pm. Streamed live at www.tvnz.co.nz

Thanks to the support from NZ On Air.

Q+A is on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/NZQandA#!/NZQandA and on Twitter, http://twitter.com/#!/NZQandA

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