9 March 2000

Cullen abusing his power to push personal hobby horse

Parties from across the political spectrum are urging Labour to stop in its tracks and address the superannuation issue properly, Opposition Leader Jenny Shipley said today.

“When is Labour going to climb down from its arrogance and see reason?”

“For superannuation to enjoy widespread support – and last into the future – there must be multi-party agreement,” Mrs Shipley said.

“Instead we have one Minister on a hobby horse driving the superannuation debate despite all the pleas for him to stop and listen. Instead of being totally preoccupied with his own ideas, he should listen to Rod Donald and Jim Anderton who have told him they are not happy.

“The only solution to the super question is a genuine multi-party agreement, and as Dr Cullen knows, National has offered to come to the table to get one.

“I am disappointed the Prime Minister didn’t respond to my letter more than four weeks ago asking to re-start the independent superannuation taskforce or some other forum with the aim of building multi-party support.

“As I said in my letter, National would come to the talks with an open mind. Both National and Labour have tried to act unilaterally on super in the past, and suffered the consequences. We should be learning from our mistakes, not repeating them. I intend to follow up my letter by talking to other party leaders.

“One way or another Dr Cullen has had an obsession with a dedicated superannuation fund for more than a decade.

“He is now abusing his position as a Minister in a minority Government to try to ram it through, when clearly even his own coalition partners are unhappy – which leaves him looking to New Zealand First to cobble together the numbers.

Superannuation is too important to be played with by every party that comes into Government,” Mrs Shipley said.

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