$1.2 million spent advertising KiwiSaver in June

Bill English MP
National Party Deputy Leader

25 July 2007

$1.2 million spent advertising KiwiSaver in June

National Party Deputy Leader Bill English says Labour spent $1.2 million advertising KiwiSaver in one month.

“And it’s that sort of extravagant spend that Labour will be rolling out in election year, while denying their critics the opportunity to communicate with the public.”

Mr English is referring to the Electoral Reform Bill which severely limits the ability of the Opposition and other third parties to advertise in election year, while allowing Labour to spend as much as it likes through big departmental budgets.

“It’s ground-hog day. Labour is planning to campaign on the taxpayer purse while imposing strict controls on everyone else.

“Government departments will be required to bombard the public with ‘information’ about Labour’s policies in election year, and if the KiwiSaver example is anything to go by, Labour could be spending millions while others are allowed to spend only a few thousand dollars.”

Mr English is also highly critical of the decision to put off decisions about electoral law enforcement until after the election.

“Labour’s plan is to change the rules and equip no one to police them. The critical issue of electoral law enforcement is noticeably missing in their bill.

“The cynical would say that Labour could do exactly what it did in 2005 - campaign on the public purse, breach the spending cap, and then get off Scot free.

“Labour is fooling no one with its claim that it wants a level playing field. This is Labour’s SOS - Save Our Skins - Bill.

“Having been forced to repay the more than $800,000 that it misused from Helen Clark’s Leader’s fund, Labour has been desperate to dream up new ways to use taxpayer money to subsidise its campaign.

“It’s cynical, it’s arrogant and it’s anti-democratic.”

ENDS

Attached: – Neilson Advertising Figures for June (PDF)