Gerry Brownlee MP
National Party State Services Spokesman

8 August 2008

Taxpayers want disciplined spending

"Labour must seriously be questioning its own priorities when it can't fund Herceptin, but can afford to give ACC staff publicly funded manicures and botox treatments," says National Party State Services spokesman Gerry Brownlee.

"It's a clear sign Labour is losing the plot when it is choosing to put manicures and wassup badges ahead of women who are suffering from cancer."

Mr Brownlee is commenting on material released by National which reveals that ACC staff have been given a card which allows them to spend $250 each on a range of goods and services.

"These products and services include botox, manicures, aromatherapy, and pet grooming.

"Also yesterday, we learnt that Education Minister Chris Carter personally signed off spending for nearly $60,000 on a campaign for Maori education that featured badges bearing words like wassup and niiiice on them.

"But we also know that the first option for that programme was $7,000 worth of origami pyramids with motivational sayings on them. The Minister went on to approve the badges at almost 10 times that cost.

"So today we have a ridiculous situation where women suffering from breast cancer can't get best-practice treatment, but the Government will fund manicures and pet grooming, and seriously considers origami pyramids as a way to promote Maori.

"National is determined to bring more discipline to government spending and treat each dollar as carefully as householders do in their weekly budgets."

ENDS

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