Plain English - 28 June 2002
PLAIN ENGLISH - A WEEKLY UPDATE FROM BILL ENGLISH, LEADER OF THE NATIONAL PARTY
Four weeks and
counting
Campaigning is so interesting and enjoyable; I don't know why we don't do it more often! An election is that period when - for just a few weeks - people take a genuine interest in politics and in the Opposition. My tour around the country finished yesterday - from now on we have to organise ourselves to meet the media needs for the election campaign. Media organisations concentrate their budgets on the official campaign and even then I won't be able to travel too far beyond their financial reach.
Education Policy
This was launched today and I've
already had an excellent response! I start from a
commonsense approach that what matters most is an inspired
teacher and an enthusiastic student in the classroom. The
rest of the system needs to support learning, not dictate
how it's done. I strongly support professionalism for
teachers and self-management for schools, because it's the
people who know our children and their community who can
make the best decisions - teachers and parents.
Under
National all secondary schools will become self managed, and
primary schools can opt to designate an organisation to do
their management if they don't want to do it
themselves
Labour's education policy has been reactionary
- a trip down nostalgia lane to the best thinking from the
1970's. Parents and schools have moved on. In dozens of
school visits, especially to secondary schools, it's clear
we need a big step forward, because the retrofit has
failed.
Economic Clouds
Recent data shows the
end of the golden weather. Sorry folks, that was as good as
it got - 3% growth and dropping back. We are still falling
behind Australia. We need more to offer to people earning
$11 and $12 dollars an hour, to the under 30's who want to
pay off loans and save for a house. A 2% economy won't do
it, and nor will more committees. Our policy follows the
lines of orthodox policy around the world regardless of
political colour - fix infrastructure, free up education,
lower taxes, and get behind small business.
The economic
debate reared its head this week with Michael Cullen's foray
into Muldoon style economics let the public see him lose the
financial credibility contest with Don Brash.
Inspiration
I recently visited a Rotorua school for young mothers - an example of alternative education that was started by National. I met a dozen 17 and 18 year olds in class with their babies next door. We had a great chat about kids, staying at home (I was once a house husband) and about their own prospects. These young women had complicated their lives, but they are focused and keen to see more of their peers getting the same opportunity. They didn't't want dependency and knew the traps of sitting back waiting for someone to do it for them. With a bit of help they are breaking the cycle. Good policy, based on respect, works.
A Financial Scandal
Plain English readers will
be aware of my warnings about health cuts. I recently
informed a well-known political journalist of these facts
and was told it just couldn't't be true because Labour were
smart. You be the judge! We left the public health system
financially stable, ready and able to focus on the hard job
of making decisions about priorities and integrating
services to better meet public needs. Labour scrapped the
financial disciplines, so despite more new money, health
boards have run up financial deficits of about $300m - that
is an overdraft of $300m. By this time next year it will be
up to $500m. It should be ZERO. That's a $500m black hole in
the public health system. The Government has only recently
discovered this and ordered $120m worth of health cuts from
1 July (it's in the Budget) to try and get the beast under
control. The only choices the elected DHB's are making is
where to cut - after the election of course!
This is a
financial scandal of BNZ proportions. National's plan is to
pay off the deficit, which will need hundreds of millions
more than Labour is planning to spend. The only other choice
is that patients pay through lost services.
Policy rollout continues
National has unveiled a
number of new policies this week including: Superannuation,
Tourism, Economic and Regional Development, Children's and
Accident Insurance. These are innovative and attractive
strategies, which give voters a real choice and establish
National as a credible, alternative government. We will be
releasing more policies next week, as well as during the
campaign. For more information on National's policies, and
to keep up to date with what's happening on the campaign
hustings, go to www.national.org.nz
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