ACT leader Richard Prebble, in a statement today after the party's caucus retreat at Waitangi, said ACT had set its campaign strategy for the election.

"ACT intends to campaign as the only party with fresh, new ideas and practical, workable solutions in health, education, law and order, and the economy," Mr Prebble said.

"National's decision to move to the centre and parallel Labour's policies, has given ACT a great opportunity. ACT will not be joining the two old parties in trying to throw taxpayers' money at social problems.

"Intelligent voters know that the politicising of health with politically-correct, elected health boards has added to bureaucracy and problems. The practical solution to the crisis in health is to involve the private sector in a much wider range of health services.

"ACT believes there is widespread concern about the Labour/Alliance government's ideological approach to education. We will campaign on the right of all parents to be able to enrol their children at the school of their choice. If the local school can't meet a pupil's needs, then that entitlement should be able to be transferred to a school that can meet the child's needs.

"In tertiary education, ACT believes the government is wrong in its approach which is encouraging students to take bigger and bigger loans. The problem has never been access to loans but in repaying the debt. ACT will be announcing policies to address the real problem of student debt.

"ACT will lead the Parliamentary opposition to the government's Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill - legislation which will release violent offenders from jail after just one-third of their sentence. ACT's alternative is Truth in Sentencing, which requires offenders to serve their full court-imposed sentence. This offers a practical solution to the issue of rising crime.

In the economy, the issues are tax and compliance costs. ACT will put forward concrete policies to lower New Zealand's tax levels below Australia's and significantly cut red tape for business," Mr Prebble said.

ENDS

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