10/10/18
Young Greens call on Government to act after fiscal announcement
The Young Greens are calling on the Government to take advantage of their economic position to do more to improve
Aotearoa’s environmental and social conditions.
There are 290,000 children that live below the poverty line, our teachers aren’t being paid enough, we have a mental
health crisis, the housing and homelessness crises are still pervasive in our country, and the UN IPCC report released
yesterday on climate change shows we need to act urgently to combat runaway climate change.
The Young Greens believe the Government is in a strong position to be able to take transformative action to address the
crises we see in our society and our environment. With low debt levels, low cost of borrowing, and strong economic
indicators it would be irresponsible to not take greater action on the issues that the Government acknowledges exist.
Young Greens Co-Convenor Max Tweedie says: “It’s time for the Government to act, the National Government starved our
public and social services of the vital funds they need to serve our communities. The Prime Minister has repeatedly said
that this is a Government of compassion, and we want to see that compassion extend further to start to address the heart
of the problem in Aotearoa.”
“The Green Party’s recently launched welfare campaign is asking for $1.5 billion of spending to address the heart of
poverty in this country. We believe this should be high on the Government’s agenda. The Confidence and Supply Agreement
with Labour guaranteed free mental health services for under-25’s and we are calling for those services to be
implemented across the country. There are many areas that the Government could increase spending in to improve the lives
of New Zealanders”
The Young Greens are extremely encouraged by the work Ministers James Shaw and Eugenie Sage are doing to address our
biodiversity and climate crises. The UN IPCC report yesterday warned of catastrophic consequences if the world fails to
act decisively on greenhouse gas emissions, and we need stronger government intervention to ensure a more urgent
transition to a green economy.
This Government has taken important steps in its first year to begin to address these areas of need, but they need to go
further. They have the means to be more transformative for the many people in this country who are still feeling the
effects of neglect by the last National Government. It is time for action, and we hope the Government can deliver on
that for the welfare of us all.
ends