David CUNLIFFE
Finance Spokesperson
Jacinda ARDERN
Employment, Youth Affairs Spokesperson

1 August 2011

John Key showed again today that he doesn’t understand how difficult many New Zealanders are finding it to get a job, say Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Cunliffe and Employment spokesperson Jacinda Ardern.

“John Key seems to live in a world divorced from the actual reality for struggling Kiwis,” David Cunliffe said.

“This morning he compared the jobless rate here (6.6 per cent) to the United States (9.2 per cent), but then talked about the unofficial rate in the United States being much higher at 13 or 14 per cent. John Key said that’s an awful lot of Americans who don’t have jobs.

“What he doesn’t understand is that there are an awful lot of Kiwis who don’t have jobs who don’t show up on our official unemployment rate either.”

Jacinda Ardern said John Key was continuing to ignore the impact of his policies on young people.

“National doesn’t recognise the fact that tens of thousands of young people are not eligible for government support, but they are struggling to find work to fund their further training or education.

“His minister Paula Bennett dismisses these young people are just people ‘at school who would like to have a paper run’. That’s so out of touch with reality that it is disgraceful.”

David Cunliffe said John Key claimed today that National’s number one focus was protecting the jobs of New Zealanders.

“That is so hypocritical as to be almost unbelievable,” David Cunliffe said. “If that is his number one focus, it is also his number one failure. Unemployment has close to doubled under his watch.

“National has failed to develop a plan to grow the economy, help our exporters and create jobs. John Key and National have not had the guts and vision to produce the bold plan New Zealand needs to ensure we own our own future, and to ensure all Kiwis can play their part in that future.”

ENDS

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