KEY POINTS:
National Party leader John Key is under pressure to start revealing more of his policy plans. We detail what is and isn't known
THE KNOWNS
Education: national standards to be set in reading, writing and maths. They will describe what school children should be able to by a particular age or year at school, and will be benchmarked in a range of tests.
Trades in schools: encourage local businesses and industry to help provide schools with resources for trades-training. Pilot a school-based apprenticeship scheme. Give schools more flexbility to offer trades and industry training outside the school gates.
Climate Change: Reduce by 50 per cent carbon equivalent net emissions, as compared to 1990 levels, by 2050. Set up cap and trade system for emissions, pursue cooperation with Australia. Incentives for tree planting.
ACC: Reintroduce competition to the accident compensation market.
Resource Management Act: Changes to reduce costs and delays in consent processing. Give greater recognition to property rights, limit scope for litigation of Treaty/commercial issues, provide for direct referral to Environment Court.
Environment: Harsher penalties for biosecurity law breaches. Build up a sustainability fund. Set up 25 new campgrounds on public land.
Maori: Abolish the Maori seats in Parliament, around the time of settlement of historic Treaty of Waitangi claims. Anticipated in 2014.
Charities and voluntary groups: A range of tax changes to encourage donations, voluntary work. Support for a 24-hour Plunketline.
Rural Issues: Review Public Works Act to allow for greater compensation in circumstances like Transpower putting transmission lines across land. Sell Landcorp farms over a `considerable' period of time.
Local Government: Develop a common investment framework which spans both central and local government investment in infrastructure. Look at financing issues, partnerships, regulation.
Employment Relations: Keep the Employment Relations Act but make changes, including introduction of an optional probationary period of 90 days during which either party may terminate employment without fear of a grievance claim. Consider reinstating fixed-term contracts.
Welfare: Some kind of Work for the Dole scheme likely, modelled on Australia's.
THE UNKNOWNS
KiwiSaver: will employer and government contributions stay?
Early Childhood Education: what will happen to 20 free hours?
Working For Families: will payments to middle and higher income earners be stopped, in favour of tax cuts?
Interest-free student loans: will it remain, as signalled by Mr Key?
Privatisation: will National sell or partially sell any state assets? To what extent will National contract out the provision of state services which have been the province of the state?
Will National cut government spending and if so, where?
How much more government debt will be taken on?
How big will the personal tax cuts be?
WHAT'S BEEN NEUTRALISED
Nukes: no change to anti-nuclear legislation.
Housing: Key does not favour a move back to market-related rents.
Climate Change: National previously looked like it wasn't a `believer'. Now it is, and intends to stay in the Kyoto Protocol.
Maori issues: while not backing off Don Brash's 'one law for all' line, Key has considerably softened National's tone toward Maori.
