Budget 2006: Political reaction

National
"Helen Clark and Michael Cullen believe there is a place for tax cuts. It's called Australia. This is the Brain Drain Budget; the Bondi Budget. Instead of boosting the country's capacity to grow, Helen Clark is focused on redistributing what we currently have. But without sustained growth we will never be able to afford the health, education and environmental standards Kiwis expect and deserve. National in government would have been introducing tax cuts to reward effort and provide fair incentives for Kiwis to get ahead under their own steam. Instead, under Labour, more of our grandchildren will end up cheering for the Wallabies."

- leader Don Brash


Act
"Labour has turned its back on the gates of opportunity. The Budget should have provided direction for completing Auckland's Western Ring Route, delivered the timetable for a 15 per cent flat tax and constrained the growth of government. Instead, this is the "Lost Opportunity Budget".

- leader Rodney Hide


Maori Party
"It's all very well for the Finance Minister using flash words to impress - that there would be a "reallocation" from existing initiatives - to "better position Maori to build and leverage off their collective resources... to improve their quality of life" but we want to know, what does it all mean? Nothing for Maori. What the 2006 Budget does is to strip money from the meagre Maori Votes across Government and put it into their new bureauspeak policy ideas."

- co-leader Tariana Turia


United Future
"In 2002 United Future was ridiculed for promoting family issues but we have ensured every Budget since has been family friendly. Families are $6 billion winners this year and will also benefit from increased funding for roading and health. We are delighted our involvement has helped make this happen."

- leader Peter Dunne


The Greens
"Labour's 2006 Budget is designed for a flat Earth where resources are endless and we can continue to live well beyond our means with no thoughts for future generations. The allocation of an additional $1.3 billion for new road building shows the Government has yet to fully grasp the fact that our future will be dominated by peak oil and the effects of worldwide climate change and these expensive motorway projects will be nothing but white elephants."

- co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons


New Zealand First
"There is no coincidence that New Zealand First's five policy platforms from the 2005 election - senior citizens, immigration, law and order, Treaty of Waitangi and an export-led economy - and other policy initiatives like the Tauranga Harbourlink bridge feature so strongly in today's Budget, because it is a genuine MMP budget."

- leader Winston Peters