Andrew Williams MP
Associate Spokesperson for Finance

13 November 2012

Key and English Out Of Touch over Job Creation

New Zealand First has accused Prime Minister John Key and Finance Minister Bill English of deliberately creating a smokescreen over the number of jobs the Government claims to have created.

Associate Finance spokesperson Andrew Williams says Mr Key last week claimed that 57,000 jobs were created in the last 12-18 months.

“That goes directly against Mr English, who said on television that the number of new jobs created in the past two years is in fact 26,000.

“Whatever the real figure may be, it is light-years away from the 170,000 new jobs National promised to create.”

Mr Williams was today blocked by National from tabling documents in Parliament which revealed the serious discrepancies between the statements of Mr Key and Mr English.

“National are doing all they can to muddy the water.

“They are desperate to hide from the public the fact that our economy is in serious trouble and there are few jobs available for those looking for work.

“It is disgraceful behaviour from the Prime Minister and his deputy.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media

World Refugee Day:
Are We Doing Our Bit?

On World Refugee Day, Thursday June 20th, Doing Our Bit will officially launch a campaign to double New Zealand’s UNHCR Refugee Resettlement Quota...

New Zealand’s low refugee intake is not a new issue. In February a NZ Herald editorial commented that our intake was ‘paltry’, remarking that ‘surely we could do more’. In April, Amnesty International described the quota as ‘tiny'.

“Despite being a small country in the middle of the South Pacific, New Zealand prides itself on being hospitable. We are friendly to overseas visitors and we see ourselves as punching above our weight in international affairs,” said Murdoch Stephens, coordinator of Doing Our Bit.

“However, in terms of accepting refugees New Zealand is clearly not doing our share.” More>>