Labour/Alliance Coalition Agreement Meaningless - ACT

ACT Leader Hon Richard Prebble today described the Labour/Alliance Coalition Agreement as a meaningless document. "Every Party in Parliament is in favour of policies that reduce inequality, are environmentally sustainable and improve the social and economic well being of all New Zealanders," he said.

"The most significant statement in the document signed today is that Cabinet decisions will be taken by consensus. This means that Jim Anderton has the power of veto. The Alliance's few MPs can hold Labour to ransom.

"It is interesting to note that there is no mention in the Agreement of the Treaty of Waitangi as New Zealand's founding document. Does this mean that the Maori MPs are already being marginalised?

"There is no mention of Labour's credit card commitments - does that mean that Labour has not got the Alliance's support for them?

"The New Zealand First/National Coalition Agreement was too detailed. But, this Labour/Alliance Agreement is so vague that is does not even guarantee support for confidence and supply, the essential requirement for Helen Clark to be able to constitutionally form a Government.

"There is no commitment to principles such as the rule of law, sanctity of contract, private property or even democracy. Why are these fundamental principles left out while the political integrity of Parliament is included?

"It's also significant that there is no commitment in the Coalition Agreement to acting on the two referenda which were passed with 80% and 90% support on polling day. The Labour/Alliance Government must act on these two referenda.

"There is no commitment to grow the economy or jobs. There is no commitment to education, health or social welfare.

"The Labour/Alliance Coalition Agreement looks like a poorly thought out and rushed document with the new Government solely interested in getting into the LTD's and the Ministerial houses with no thought as to what they will do with the powers of office. All politics, no values, no vision," said Hon Richard Prebble.

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