Don Brash MP
National Party Leader
30 October 2006

Labour plans to dip into public purse - again

Labour’s plans to dip into the public purse to fund political parties smacks of desperation by a party facing huge financial problems, says National Party Leader Don Brash.

“Taxpayers should be worried after news that Labour ran up a $600,000 election campaign deficit – on top of the $825,000 it unlawfully spent on election advertising.

“It’s now obvious why Helen Clark and the Labour Party have been pushing state funding of political parties so strongly – they need the money.

“Fresh from having her hands in the till to fund campaign advertising last year, Helen Clark is now arranging a further raid on the public purse. And this raid will be enshrined in legislation.

“Labour has convincingly demonstrated that it cannot be trusted with taxpayer funds.

“National opposes state funding of political parties because parties should live or die by the public support they have. There shouldn’t be any more call on the taxpayer to fund political parties than there already is.”

ENDS

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