Bill English
National Finance Spokesperson
Tuesday 18 July 2000

Falling confidence hurts families

There's a hard reality in the latest confidence survey for New Zealand families - their prospects for getting ahead are deteriorating, National Finance spokesperson Bill English said today.

"While the export sector is growing well, the domestic economy is slowing down and that is affecting jobs and incomes.

"Dr Cullen continues to try to defy economic gravity and say that he is right and the rest of the country is wrong.

"The plain fact behind this survey is that businesses and families who aren't involved in exporting are finding it tougher. Their profits and incomes are being hurt.

"There are many factors behind that, including higher petrol prices and the weakness of the Kiwi dollar.

"But as the survey writers say, the Government cannot isolate itself completely from the deteriorating sentiment that successive surveys have shown.

"Instead of working with families and businesses to help them deal with these circumstances, the Government is making it harder for them. The new employment law is part of the problem, not part of the solution

"Repeated surveys have shown that the Government miscalculated when it set out on a course to ignore or over-ride the interests of New Zealanders involved in enterprise.

"Too many New Zealanders are paying the price for that attitude," Mr English said.

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