ACT Party launches nightly TV Programme limited series

The ACT Party launched tonight (August 24, 2021) its limited series television programme hosted by ACT Leader David Seymour on YouTube and Facebook.

Following is a statement issued by him: 

With Parliament not sitting this week, ACT has found a unique way to connect with Kiwis. 

The half-hour show will run live on weeknights at 7 pm on YouTube and Facebook.

It is run from our respective bubbles but has all the bells and whistles of professional graphics and switches between cameras. 

In our first episode, I gave an update on the situation with Covid.

But Kiwis also want to hear about other things. 

Positive Solutions

So tonight, I interviewed ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden about ACT’s positive solutions to mental health and housing. 

The episodes will be available on-demand on Facebook and YouTube for those who still need their fix of Jeremy Wells or Jeremy Corbett. 

Tomorrow night (August 25, 2021), we will have a discussion about law and order with ACT MP Nicole McKee. Anyone who has questions for ACT is encouraged to contact us. 

We will run ACT TV every night this week and potentially beyond depending on how long the lockdown lasts.

Delta outbreak and Vaccination rate

The Labour government’s recent decision around Alert Levels speaks to its unpreparedness for a Delta outbreak.

We have known about Delta since December. We have seen what outbreaks have looked like around the world. There are steps the government should have taken to protect us, the main one being higher rates of vaccination.

The ACT Party has been consistent in calling this government to be more open and transparent about the numbers of people who have been traced and tested, and what numbers it basis its decision to lockdown our country. When it makes these big decisions that affect our lives, we should know what they are being based on.

New Zealanders want a government that is accountable to the people, that lays out the data it has and what it needs to see to make a decision.

The government has started each 1 pm pronouncement with self-congratulations about vaccination being on track and vaccines arriving in the country. These are things that we should just expect and should have been happening at greater rates before now. 

New Zealand is the lowest in the OECD for vaccinations.

This government knew that a community transmission of the Delta variant was an imminent threat, yet they have ignored ACT’s constructive inputs on vaccinations, testing and tracing.

The government should transparently tell us, how many contacts have they traced, how many have they contacted, and how many have returned a negative test. Without these numbers, it is impossible to say whether they have made the right decision.

Lack of transparency, accountability

New Zealanders need is certainty. Parents want to know when their children will be back to school, business owners want to know when they can reopen, everyone wants to know when they will get back to living their lives.

This government’s lack of accountability could also be seen during the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.

(Finance Minister) Grant Robertson has today (August 24, 2021) told the Select Committee that it does not matter how much of the Covid-19 Recovery Fund he has blown on unrelated spending because he can always borrow more.

He has so far spent it on things like school lunches, ballet and the orchestra.

Three months ago, there was only $5 billion left from the $50 billion fund. More money will either need to be borrowed or cuts will need to be made elsewhere. But Grant Robertson wasn’t keen to talk about that.

Robertson has no appreciation that this money comes from hardworking taxpayers and will need to be paid back by future generations.

ACT released our second version of a plan to prepare New Zealand in March and we have another version on the way. It revolves around five principles: Transparency, faster tech uptake, risk management, a culture of inviting criticism and continuous improvement.

We will continue to make constructive criticisms where necessary and helpful suggestions where possible while asking the questions New Zealanders need answered.

David Seymour is Leader of ACT Party and a Member of Parliament elected from Epsom. The above article has been taken from the Party’s press releases.