13 April 2005

Hon Matt Robson MP, Progressive Deputy Leader

ACT’s Big Fiscal Ease would mean much higher student fees

Progressive MP Matt Robson said today that the right-wing Opposition’s policy of significant across-the-board income tax cuts, coupled with significantly higher Defence and Police spending, would inevitably translate into significantly higher tertiary student fees and, for many, higher levels of student debt.

Speaking at a public debate with ACT leader Rodney Hide at Victoria University today, Matt Robson said educated students will easily see through the real consequences of ACT’s proposed large fiscal easing because young people know that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

“There is no such thing as a free lunch. There are huge opportunity costs associated with ACT’s tax and spend policies and those cost burdens would fall on the shoulders of tertiary students, along with no doubt low income families and the elderly.

“By picking a smaller party with your party vote you can influence the relative policy priorities that will be adopted by the next Coalition Government Since 1999, Jim Anderton and I have had some success translating the issues that we have held as priorities into becoming coalition government policy, often against initial Labour Party resistance.

“What Progressive is saying this election is that we would like to again be represented in an historic third-term, centre-left coalition government and that a Party Vote for Progressive means that our policy on graduate debt relief will be promoted by us as a priority in post-election policy negotiations with Labour”.

“We want our graduate debt relief policy to become coalition government policy, the way our policies on Four Weeks Annual Leave, regional and industry development and Kiwibank became coalition government policy,” the Progressive MP said.

Progressive graduate debt relief policy

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