Key Notes: Reforming Alcohol Laws

Click here - or on the image - to watch my policy briefing on our reforms to alcohol laws.

Reforming alcohol laws
This week Justice Minister Simon Power announced our alcohol reform package. It focuses on minimising alcohol-related harm, particularly among young people.

We know there are a lot of responsible drinkers in New Zealand and we don't want to unduly affect them, so we have been careful to get the balance right.

We have adopted in full, or in part, 126 of the Law Commission's 153 recommendations, including:
• Empowering communities to decide the concentration, location, and hours of their local alcohol outlets.
• Putting forward a split alcohol purchase age of 18 for on-licence venues such as bars, and 20 for off-licence venues such as liquor stores. The National caucus will have a conscience vote on this issue.
• Restricting RTDs to 5 per cent alcohol content, and no more than 1.5 standard drinks per container.
•
Click here for a one-page summary.

Click here to read my speech to the Sensible Sentencing Trust conference.

Growing the economy

National is working hard to lift the long-term performance of the economy. Click here to read a one-page summary of our six-point economic growth plan.

This week Finance Minister Bill English set up an independent working group to report to the Government on how New Zealand can improve its national savings.

As a country, we need to save more money and turn our economy around, because we are relying too heavily on high debt to the rest of the world.

We will consider all of the working group's ideas. But I want to assure you that there will be no changes to either the age of entitlement or payment levels of New Zealand Superannuation.

Improving savings is just one part of our economic growth plan. On 1 October our changes to the tax system from Budget 2010 come into effect, which will leave the average household about $25 a week better off. Click here to visit our tax calculator and find out how the tax changes will affect you.

Better healthcare, sooner

National is delivering on its promise to provide better frontline healthcare for patients. We are investing more money into health than ever before and it's paying off.

Yesterday Health Minister Tony Ryall announced the progress District Health Boards have made against our health targets.

Click here to find out the results for your District Health Board.

Highlights include:
• Emergency departments seeing more patients faster.
• More patients than ever before getting the elective surgery they need (such as hip replacements, cataract removals, and ear, nose, and throat surgery).
• Shorter waits for cancer patients.
• More kids getting immunised.
•
Lifting achievement in education

Education is a great liberator, and I believe it is the most important rung on the ladder of opportunity. National is working hard to make sure all young New Zealanders have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Last week Education Minister Anne Tolley announced nine trades academies will open next year.

The trades academies will offer free vocational programmes for 16- and 17-year-olds in areas such as agriculture, mechanics, or hospitality. They're for students who are ready to move beyond secondary school, but who want to keep learning and gain work experience.

Click here to find out where the trades academies will be.

From my diary

I really enjoyed spending the day in Dunedin yesterday. I visited Larnach Castle, the Royal Albatross Centre, the Nature's Wonders eco-farm, and I went to the Otago Daily Times Class Act Awards ceremony. Today I've had a busy day in Christchurch, including opening the Hellers factory expansion in Kaiapoi.

Click here to see a few photos of my trip.

John Key
Prime Minister

© Scoop Media