14 July 2002

Jim Anderton, Leader

Progressive Coalition policy - Cornerstone Commitments

We are distributing 700,000 of these leaflets to New Zealand homes.

The leaflet contains our top priorities for a coalition with Labour after the election.

They are:

- Everyone under 20 in jobs, education or training by 2005, as a step towards full employment

- We will keep student fees and interest rates frozen and progressively remove fees for first year students, as a step towards free education.

- Free GP visits for school children will be introduced as a step towards free health care.

- We will put in place early intervention programmes designed to turn young people away from a life of crime and to reduce re-offending, as a step towards safer and stronger communities.

- We will implement an anti-drugs strategy, with special penalties for supplying drugs to children, strengthened rehabilitation and “drug-free’ campaigns.

- We will inflation adjust family support, as the most immediate step we can take to reduce child poverty.

- We will hold a Commission of Inquiry into balancing the demands of work and family, as a step towards strengthening families.

- We will save the kiwi dollar - and oppose any move towards currency union with Australia, as a step towards strengthening New Zealand’s economic sovereignty.

- We will introduce a winter energy rebate of $15 a month for superannuitants, beneficiaries and low income earners.

These policies are achievable in a coalition, in the same way that paid parental leave, the Ministry of Economic, Regional and Industry Development and the Kiwibank were achieved in our first term.

These are policies that should be taken seriously, because I believe we will be in a coalition with Labour.

Parties that are not in government cannot achieve policies like these. Every other party on present trends is going to be outside government.

That’s why a vote for the Greens or New Zealand First is a wasted vote.

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