Q+A: Shane Taurima interviews David Clark
Shane Taurima interviews David
Clark
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Q+A
SHANE
TAURIMA INTERVIEWS DAVID
CLARK
SHANE
TAURIMA
David Clark joins us now from our Dunedin studio. Good
morning.
DAVID CLARK - Labour
MP
Good morning,
Shane.
SHANE
$15 minimum wage - it doesn’t have a chance, does
it?
DAVID
Well, it might. I haven’t had a chance to talk
directly to the different party leaders and members of
Parliament yet, and I’m looking forward to having that
chance. I think it’s a very reasonable policy. It will
affect a couple of hundred thousand New Zealanders, and
right now, actually, we’re all bearing the costs of having
people living in poverty, and we don’t need to do that.
It’s an easy
fix.
SHANE So
why $15 exactly? What research do you have to suggest that
$13.50, as it is now, isn’t fair, or it shouldn’t be
$18?
DAVID
Well, there’s been research that shows that those
who are feeding, say, an average family on $13.50 can afford
to put healthy food on the table only if they spend over
half of their income directly on food. Now, that’s not
taking into account rent, that’s not meaning that you can
send the kids on school trips, that’s not meaning you can
pay for school uniforms and so on. Over half of their income
goes directly into putting a healthy meal on the
table.
SHANE
And so it’s all solved with
$15?
DAVID
Look, it’s a start. I don’t think that we can
put the minimum wage up to $30 an hour. You know, that would
have a negative effect on business, and Labour’s a pretty
responsible party, so we are concerned to make sure that
people aren’t living in poverty, but we’re also
concerned that the economy is running
well.
SHANE So
how much will it cost
employers?
DAVID
What will it cost employers? Well, it depends who
you are as an employer. Most employers and most small and
medium businesses pay their employees more than the minimum
wage. They
understand-
SHANE
So the overall
cost?
DAVID
Well, we don’t know exactly how much it will
cost. Um, we understand-
SHANE You
haven’t costed
it?
DAVID I
haven’t costed it myself. I understand there has been work
done around it.
SHANE
So Labour’s criticism and attacks on John Key
last week over the bonus shares scheme about him not costing
it, it sounds a bit
hypocritical
DAVID
Look, I think that we’ve seen that the millions
of the dollars that it will put into the economy of raising
the minimum wage will actually have a positive boost, it
will have an economic advantage. So we’re not talking
about costs here. We’re talking about boosting the
economy. We’re also talking about making sure it’s a
level playing field so that those employers who currently
pay their workers properly are not disadvantaged by others
undercutting
them.
SHANE
Let’s talk about Mondayisation. Is Labour going
to win the next
election?
DAVID
Look, I think we’re, at the moment, pretty
hopeful. Things are trending in the right direction.
Anything could happen between now and then, but I’m
hopeful because actually want to make sure that Kiwis gets a
fair deal.
SHANE
So given the next time either of these days -
Waitangi or Anzac - actually fall on the weekend will be
2015, one year after the next election. Why not leave it
till then? Why the hurry now? Doesn’t Parliament have more
pressing things to
do?
DAVID
Well, look, you know, when you’re in a position
to fix something, you get on and do it. Frankly, not doing
this now, now that it’s before Parliament, is like saying,
‘It’s not worth fixing the roof because it’s not
raining.’ We’ve got the chance to get on and fix it now.
Let’s do it.
SHANE
But, with respect, Mr Clark, Labour was in
government for nine years. It chose not to do it then. So
why the hurry
now.
DAVID
Um, look, you could use that argument for any
change. The world is constantly changing. We work amongst
the longest hours in the OECD. It makes sense to put a
Monday holiday after we celebrate Anzac, just like we do
with Christmas. It’s a quick fox. It’s only a problem
that really surfaced in the public mind when it happened
last year that we missed out on two days of our public
holidays - they’re in the Public Holidays Act - and the
year before. And people felt cheated. It’s an easy fix.
Let’s get on and do
it.
SHANE And
how much is this going to cost? Have you costed this
policy?
DAVID
The government says that it will cost 13 cents per
worker, per day.
SHANE
No, has Labour costed
this?
DAVID
I’ve seen all of their costs, and I’ve done my
own calculations on it which suggests it will be
considerably less than that. It may even have a net positive
effect, and that’s because you get a boost to domestic
tourism, you also get more productive workers from having
rests. But anyway, even if it costs 13 cents per worker, per
day, as the government estimates - and the government
officials acknowledge themselves it’s likely to be
overestimated - we don’t think that’s too much to pay to
make sure people get to spend times with their families.
Hard-working Kiwis deserve all the public holidays they
get.
SHANE So
these two policies, will they be a priority if you win the
next election? Is this what you’re going to be pushing
through?
DAVID
Look, I would be pushing for these things. I think
there are bigger issues. There’s making sure we have a
pro-growth tax policy. You think about things like the
Capital Gains Tax that will actually transform our economy.
When we’re in a position to make those bigger changes, we
will, because Labour cares about making sure that we’re
growing the pie and also about those who are struggling to
get along. We want to make sure this country’s a better
place for everybody to live
in.
SHANE Good
place to leave it. David Clark, thank you very much for
joining us.
DAVID
Thanks,
Shane.
ENDS