Hon Annette King
Labour Deputy Leader

31 March 2009 Media Statement

National’s “do as I say, not as I do” public relations

National’s spin over the use of taxpayers’ money to run advertisements on new Government programmes or entitlements has been exposed as nothing but hypocrisy, says Labour Deputy Leader Annette King.

“The National Party spent the last three years when we were in government attacking information campaigns ensuring the public was aware of entitlements, policy and programmes.

“National called it ‘political propaganda’ and John Key promised there would be none of this under a National Government. In fact the National Party’s mouthpiece Bill Ralston reiterated this just last weekend in a column where he claimed there would be no more taxpayer-funded spin.

“But the first opportunity they get to dip their paws into the public purse, they do it, running very large advertisements in daily papers about the new independent earner tax credit,” Annette King says.

“Labour is not opposed to taxpayers getting information about entitlements or programmes, although in this case the advertisements appear to encourage readers into thinking most of them will be entitled to the $10 tax credit, when 80 per cent won’t actually get one.

“But we do object to National attacking us for running information campaigns on KiwiSaver and Working for Families and then turning around and doing the same thing itself. Public Relations 101 surely requires some consistency in messaging - or does National simply think the public can’t see what it’s up to?”

ENDS

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