The National Government is selling off state houses, used by the mentally ill, the injured and, in Rotorua, a lot of Maori. Photo / File
The National Government is selling off state houses, used by the mentally ill, the injured and, in Rotorua, a lot of Maori. Photo / File
Budget week reinforced in my mind this government's abuse of their power, even in this term where their majority has never been smaller. But all it takes are some willing helpers. National's support parties are: Act, United Future and the Maori Party. With their help this budget has cemented inplace National's acceptance and reinforcement of their reality of a designated, permanent underclass in New Zealand.
You were sold this budget as a "plan that is working." But as the experts have noted, there is no plan. And, as I used to say to my students, badly paraphrasing the works of Lewis Carroll, if you don't have any goal in mind, any choice will do. I suppose that's why National thinks it's working.
This government claims that the return of our brothers, sisters and cousins from Australia is a clear sign their management of this economy is working.
Quite the opposite is true - all it showed us was that the Australian government had mismanaged theirs and so, with no work and no real prospects, and frustratingly no support at all, our families are returning home to us.
Even the fall in petrol prices was a bad thing according to this government, it was a big reason why they couldn't get into surplus yet again - that's a strike record of nil for seven so far, folks. Now National, after seven years, have grown sovereign debt from nothing to around $80 billion. What turned me stone cold after debating each piece of legislation was the way votes from National's supporting parties were cast. For example, the nonsensical sell off of Housing New Zealand's stock to private interests.
The supporting parties voted for it. Even though this will undermine our most at-risk people especially here in Rotorua. From the mentally ill, to those living with permanent injuries and, sadly, Maori here in Rotorua who are the highest users of state housing.
With the help of the supporting parties the $1000 Kiwisaver kick-start scheme was scrapped. Gone now is your child's motivation to join, gone now is the future value of this $1000 which, depending on the numbers was, according to National, only worth $25,000 at retirement - but according to my calculations was worth more like $117,000 at retirement. These things are gone now and they couldn't have been taken from the most needy without the support of National's friends in government, their support parties.
- Fletcher Tabuteau is a New Zealand First list MP Based in Rotorua.
