Labour leader Chris Hipkins continued his theme of managing voter expectations in his State of the Nation speech, delivered today in Auckland.
Hipkins said a future Labour Government would need multiple terms to achieve its promises – a marked departure from the last Labour Government, which promised to have most of the Auckland light rail line built in its first term, and to be building 12,000 KiwiBuild homes a year by the start of its second.
Neither promise was kept.
“Frankly, Kiwis have had enough of promises that aren’t kept.
“We won’t try to do everything in our first term. We’ll focus on what matters most – and we will deliver,” Hipkins said.
Hipkins’ speech criticised the rising cost of living under the coalition Government and its interest in user-pays charges, which Labour has criticised for loading costs on to consumers.
Hipkins criticised the coalition’s idea of a levy-funded liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and the proposal, floated by the Infrastructure Commission to toll the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge in order to manage demand when a new crossing is eventually built.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop has said the Government has been looking at the idea, noting concerns that if the existing bridge remains free, not many people will use the expensive new crossing, which will be tolled.
“Labour supports a second harbour crossing. But we won’t penalise people for using the one that already exists,” Hipkins said.
Hipkins repeated his pledge not to continue with the LNG terminal if a contract is not signed. If a contract is signed, as expected, it is not clear whether Labour would rip it up.
The coalition has been ramping up pressure on Labour to announce more policy and more policy costings.
National deputy leader Nicola Willis skewered Hipkins for not presenting any new ideas.
“What you would expect from a Leader of the Opposition who is talking down New Zealand at every turn is that he would have an alternative set of ideas for how to make progress for New Zealand,” she said.
“Instead, his speech read like a lump of jelly, filled with platitudes and sentiment, but no concrete plans.”
She argued that the lack of policy from Labour created a vacuum which the Greens and Te Pāti Māori could fill.
Willis labelled the Labour leader “Chris – No Idea – Hipkins”.
Her coalition partners, Winston Peters and David Seymour, were also critical.
Peters, the NZ First leader, said: “Chris “softy” Hipkins just delivered one of the most boring State of the Nation speeches in recorded history."
“No new policy. No new plan. No new announcements – apart from announcing they will announce policy later – maybe he’s just waiting for the Greens and TPM [Te Pāti Māori] to fill in the gaps.”
Hipkins responded: “Winston Peters seems to think the way you make speeches interesting is by offending people and by inflating racial tension, that is not something I am buying into”.
Act leader Seymour said “underneath the smooth words there are no solutions, just new problems”.
“That speech wasn’t lightweight, it was featherweight. Any politician could have read it out, because who doesn’t want good things?
“Chris Hipkins says he’ll put ‘affordability at the heart of all decisions’. He forgot about his own policies. He presented no plan to pay for any promise.”
Hipkins hinted heavily during comments to reporters afterwards that solar would play a big part in Labour’s energy policy.
Willis, however, said Labour needed to address what to do when there isn’t available hydro or solar energy. Previously, Labour has supported battery projects.
Asked what the point was of his speech when he wasn’t releasing much policy, Hipkins said it was about reflecting on where the country was, its challenges and potential future direction.
“I have also set out some reassurances to business leaders who are concerned about the constant chopping and changing of New Zealand’s direction when it comes to infrastructure investment, that we are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past and that was very, very well received here.”
Willis on RNZ’s Morning Report last week attacked Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni for failing to articulate any policies that would boost productivity.
“I’m not going to throw policies out there,” Sepuloni said.
“You never do because you don’t have any,” Willis replied.
Hipkins attacked the coalition for the number of people leaving overseas.
“It breaks my heart. Because it means we are failing them. Not because they aren’t good enough for New Zealand. But because we haven’t made New Zealand good enough for them.
“But we can. And we will. This is why I got into politics. That’s why I’m standing here today,” he said.