Last fortnight, I was delighted to be asked to open a new supermarket in my electorate of Mt Roskill.
But I was shocked at what I heard there.
The owner-operator of the supermarket told me that 2700 people had applied for 150 positions created in the new store.
I have to ask, “Where is (Prime Minister) John Key’s recovery for ordinary Kiwis?
Supermarket companies have told me this was the worst period they could remember in retailing and that they were concerned about further impacts from the rise in GST.
There could not be a worse time to increase GST.
In fact, the National Party had promised that it would make such a move.
People are finding it hard to make ends meet now. The extra 2½% cost on top of everything they buy would make their life harder.
Mr Key promised New Zealanders that by now the country would be moving aggressively out of recession. But that has not happened.
National has just sat on the sidelines as the economy got worse with no plan for creating jobs or promoting economic recovery.
The Party also promised New Zealanders that it would put plans in place for wages to catch up with those in Australia. Since National came to office, the wage gap with Australia has grown wider, by about an additional $50 per week.
Instead of admitting that it did not have a plan to catch up with Australia, Mr Key and Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee fudged figures and attempted to mislead Kiwis.
National’s belated decision last week to set up a Committee to look at a compulsory saving scheme is an admission that the Government has been caught without a credible plan or milestones to catch up with Australia.
Two years and two budgets wasted with no plan and now their bold idea is to set up a Committee!
Labour knows that the biggest difference between the New Zealand and Australian economies is that Australia has a better savings record.
KiwiSaver spearheaded Labour’s commitment to turning this around, but National gutted the scheme as soon as it came to office, cutting employer contributions by half.
It also suspended contributions to the Super Fund, reducing savings through that scheme by billions of dollars.
Two years on, the Government is in effect admitting that it was wrong.
National is rudderless and desperately hopes a savings taskforce can help it out of its difficulty. When you have no ideas of your own, you form a committee.
Labour is well progressed on its savings policy, which will be announced before the next election.
It will allow Kiwis to own more of their future, instead of forcing us to rely more and more on foreign investment. It will ensure that as our life expectancy continues to increase, people can save to supplement New Zealand Super so that they could enjoy a more comfortable retirement.
Phil Goff is the Leader of Opposition in Parliament and Leader of the Labour Party. The above article is exclusive to Indian Newslink. ©
