David
Shearer
Labour Leader

10 October 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT

National’s spin machine ignores harsh reality

The Government’s attempt to spin the state of the books as a success ignores the harsh reality of low wages, job cuts, a manufacturing crisis and a record exodus to Australia, says Labour Leader David Shearer

“After four years of John Key’s Government, most New Zealanders are working harder but going backwards. National blames everyone else in the world but the truth is New Zealand was in a strong position to handle the downturn, we could control our future.

“Instead we have job losses announced every week and tens of thousands of people leaving for Australia.

“The Government’s claim to be a credible manager of the books has also been blown out of the water. Its deficit is $800 million more than it forecast in May. This statement is for June so it has lost $800 million in a month.

“New Zealand should have turned the corner by now but National’s economic management is letting New Zealand down.

“This Government is losing its grip and all it has left is a fistful of failures. National said selling state assets would raise billions but it’s a complete shambles. They promised to create 170,000 jobs but 40,000 have been lost in manufacturing alone. They promised to stop Kiwis leaving for Australia but they have fled in record numbers – 160,000 on National’s watch.

“Today is about the Government’s record and whether the past four years have improved our lives.

“The people in the devastated communities of Kawerau, Huntly, Greymouth and Bluff, where major industries are shutting down, know the answer. The thousands leaving for Australia and the families struggling to make ends meet know as well. We’re going nowhere under National.

“John Key has made promise after promise but he simply can’t deliver. He has let New Zealand down.”

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>