19 May 2005

Hon Jim Anderton MP, Progressive Leader

Don't turn the clock back with National

The Progressive Party supports this budget because this is a pro-business, pro-personal wellbeing budget that will make New Zealand a fairer place to live, Jim Anderton Progressive Leader said in his speech in reply to the Budget today.

"The driving force for the Progressive Party involvement in this and the previous coalition government is two- fold. First, to develop a full employment economy and secondly, to win social justice for our communities and regions after years of neglect from hands-off governments.

"We are a business-friendly party with a social conscience.

"Unlike the National Party. They would turn back the clock to a low value, low wage economy. The work we have done supporting businesses and hard working New Zealand families would be lost if a National government got hold of the Treasury benches.

"They say they offer choice - what they really offer you is the choice of high unemployment and low growth, the choice for families to struggle without strong investment in early child care and after school care support which working families deserve, the choice to turn back the clock to the failed ideas of the 1990s.

"I say, don't go backwards with National - keep moving forward with a Labour Progressive coalition government," Jim Anderton said.

ENDS

Jim Anderton's full speech notes available at www.progressive.org.nz

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