Labour is writing cheques it can’t cash

Helen Clark needs to tell New Zealanders how she plans to fund her parade of new spending announcements, including the big spending plan to introduce universal student allowances.

“Helen Clark has decided she is going to spend her way to the election. That is what she is telling us today. But she has given herself a ‘get out of jail free card’ with a mini-Budget after the election.”

National’s Finance spokesman Bill English is responding to another big spending initiative on student allowances this afternoon.

“A Universal Student Allowance is an admirable goal and National will be making some changes to the allowance in its own, yet to be announced, tertiary education policy.

“It will be more generous than the current scheme, but won’t be universal.

“However, our priority is literacy and numeracy, and the one in five kids who never get a qualification - let alone make it to University.

“But Helen Clark is being reckless by making these sorts of promises and offering no advice on how any of it is to be funded.

“The most we’ve got from Helen Clark is that Labour will have a mini-budget after the election when she will reveal how unaffordable all the promises have been. Which promises is Labour planning to break?”

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