robson-on-politics April 19 2005
robson-on-politics April 19
2005
robson-on-politics, a newsletter
from Matt Robson MP
Deputy Leader of the Progressive
Party
www.progressiveparty.org.nz
Tuesday 19 April
Budget 2005 - enhancing our productive capacity
The roll-out continues of the Labour-Progressive government's Budget 2005 initiatives. Jim Anderton will this week outline two initiatives to further promote the development of our creative industries.
In the past three weeks, Jim has announced multi million dollar forestry sector initiatives.
Progressive promotes these policies because they are about getting us up the value-chain so we can become a richer economy able to afford the sort of First World social policies to which New Zealanders aspire.
Check
http://www.progressive.org.nz/budget2005 where our
Budget initiatives will be posted as they are
announced.
That’s
Forestry initiative:
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1679
Progressive promotes strong, safe communities
The Progressive Party also advocates within the coalition government for practical policies and programmes that advance our commitment to promoting strong, safer communities.
Ahead of Budget Day on May 19, we'll be releasing new funding for programmes that build on Progressive's Budget 2004 and Budget 2003 initiatives to reduce the demand for drugs, to promote individuals' and families' well-being, including early intervention for children.
All the information on our continuing commitment
on fighting drugs is at www.progressive.org.nz/anti-drugs
That’s
http;//www.progressive.org.nz/anti-drugs
Building on
our 2004 anti-drug initiatives:
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=930
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=929
and
on our 2003 initiatives . . .
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=171
http://
www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=174
Investing in businesses, jobs
The
share market had its worst day in almost two years yesterday
largely in reaction to a feared economic slowdown in the
United States. The reason Progressive is so strongly
committed to upgrading the productive capacity of our
economy is to diminish our vulnerability to offshore market
swings and roundabouts. We want to further weaken the link
between our economic and social fortune, and global
commodity market cycles.
In this year's election, the
Progressive Party is campaigning to bring our corporate tax
rate into line with Australia's, because we want to further
enhance New Zealand as a base to do business and create
jobs. Sweden did this with the EU, and have been able to
boost employment and Swedish people’s social security.
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=104
Further reasons to offer graduate debt relief
University study in New Zealand is among the most expensive in the world, according to a North American-based research institute, the Educational Policy Institute. In this year's election, Progressive is campaigning on a policy proposing that for each year a graduate works in New Zealand after graduation, the government should meet the graduate’s student loan payments for that year.
We want your Party Vote so that our policy
on graduate debt relief will be promoted by us as a priority
in post-election policy negotiations with Labour. We want to
have the same level of success that we had with Four Weeks
Annual Leave, regional and industry development, and
Kiwibank. All those have become coalition government policy
over the past five years.
http://www.progressiveparty.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1334
ACT
stung into action by robson-on-politics
I gently
pointed out on Thursday that ACT was not complying with the
obligations of being an incorporated society, and was within
days of being struck off the register. It's obvious they
were stung into action. Within 36 hours they had notified
the Registrar of a change of address and on Monday filed
outstanding reports for the years since 2001/02. And ACT
president Catherine Judd’s email didn’t have a single word
of thanks for my help.
Good books help make a
civil society
In 1780, John Adams outlined how American culture might evolve. "I must study politics and war that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy." His children's studies might permit his grandchildren the right to study painting, poetry, music.
Adams' prophesy foretold much of the richness of
America in the 19th and 20th centuries, but a strange thing
has happened. There has been a decline in average reading
standards that is hurting businesses. The decline of reading
is also taking its toll in the civic sphere and
participation in the democratic process. There is a lesson
there for us - Treasury last December reported that there
are 535,000 functionally illiterate New Zealand adults.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/04/10/why_literature_matters?mode=PF>
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/04/10/why_literature_matters?mode=PF
Find more real Parliamentary news stories are at http://www.progressive.org.nz
ENDS