Alliance leader and Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton is astounded that the National Party is considering adopting the discredited Winston Peters' superannuation scheme, rejected at a referendum by a 92% vote.

National's Finance Minister Bill English told the Marlborough Express on 21 July that "National was looking at a range of ideas on superannuation, including Winston Peters' plan".

The announcement follows Mr English's 'plunder blunder' last week when he vowed to plunder any superannuation fund the Government sets up and use the proceeds to give tax cuts to the wealthy.

"Mr English's statement that National is looking at reviving the Peters scheme is bewildering," Jim Anderton said.

"In 1998 Mrs Shipley led the campaign against the Peters scheme, and used her campaign to topple Mr Bolger as leader of the National Party. It is almost unbelievable that the National party is now considering bringing that scheme back after it was rejected by 92% of New Zealanders.

"The National party's policy on superannuation seems to swerve wildly from week to week.

"Last week Mr English wanted to plunder the savings of poor New Zealanders to give away a superannuation fund in tax cuts to the richest New Zealanders.

"The main reason that the Government is now developing a policy that partially pre-funds some of the future costs of superannuation is that National has made such a botch of superannuation since it unilaterally destroyed the Superannuation Accord.

"The Opposition still has no rational policy and that is one of the reasons why it is in Opposition," Jim Anderton said.

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