More than 166,000 Kiwis have moved to Australia since the National Party came to power in 2008.
The latest figures show a net loss of 39,956 people to Australia in the year-to- August 2012, making it the biggest loss ever and setting yet another record for the number of Kiwis leaving for Australia.
Labour MP David Cunliffe said that the John Key Government has had four years to encourage New Zealanders to stay in their country but the evidence is clear.
National’s dishonest promises are not matched by workable policies.
That Party needs to pull its head out of the sand and look at how, out of whack, they have gotten New Zealand with the OECD orthodoxy.’’
How many Kiwis need to head for the departure lounges before this Government wakes up? How much hope needs to be destroyed before National takes the responsibility they promised to take when they were trying to win the election in 2008 and again in 2011?
Someone asked me if Labour could offer an instant solution to the ordeal and fix the economy. I said, “No, there is no quick fix for the damage done over the years. It would need a strategic approach to bring the books back into black.”
Tough decisions
As Labour has reiterated time and again, we need to make the tough decisions that have been put off for years.
There is no money – and that is the starting point.
Labour contested the Election last year with a fiscal policy that would have seen us borrow more in the short term, return to surplus in the same year as National, then run larger surpluses and pay down debt more aggressively.
We need a breakthrough in our economy. We need to move to a high growth, more productive economy than a speculative economy.
Had our esteemed voters listened carefully to Labour’s policies, they would have been in a better situation today.
National’s hands-off approach to the economy is not working.
Under National, unemployment has grown to alarming levels.
The economy never looks after itself.
We do not agree with the National Government’s leave-it-to-the-market strategy.
Jobs are not being created and incomes are not rising to the levels we need.
We want an economy which delivers social well-being and maintains control of our own destiny.
Alarm bells
Labour will address the key issues.
Exports are dropping and we are still over-reliant on consumption and overseas debt, instead of depending on exports and productivity growth.
Our gap with Australia is growing, prices are rising faster than wages and more and more Kiwis are struggling to make ends meet.
National made a policy choice to compete in the global economy by trying to be a low-wage economy.
This was a wrong decision, and we have been paying for it.
If we do not change, more and more New Zealanders will leave our shores to make a new life in Australia and further afield.
Meaningful reforms
Labour will create and put in place reforms. These include ‘Pro-Export’ to increase the quality and volume of exports, ‘Affordability of New Zealand Super,’ and ‘Education and Skills’ to improve productivity and growth.
We will back exporters, protect productive assets and build savings.
A Labour-led government will balance the books.
We need a new economy – a clean, green and clever economy.
Read our editorial, Is the Australian grass really greener? under Viewlink.
Sunny Kaushal evinces keen interest in current affairs. He is a Member of the Labour Party based in Auckland.