Alliance Party

Monday 15 August 2011

The Alliance Party has described John Key's latest plan to hound young unemployed people with "micro case management", whatever that means, and other punitive measures, as a callous political stunt.

Alliance Party co-leader Kay Murray says the PR exercise is intended to make it look like people are unemployed by choice.

The reality is that unemployment has surged since National took office, and over a quarter of young people have no work.

The failure is that of the National Government which has abandoned young people to unemployment, and now is attempting to cynically use their situation to appeal to a new mean minded attitude in parts of society.

Ms Murray says the government could have created over 1300 new jobs, including apprenticeships for young school leavers in skilled sought after trades, by allowing Hillside and Woburn workshops to build KiwiRails new rolling stock.

"But no – John Key sent our money to the Chinese government agency CNR to get them to build the rolling stock for us."

"Not only are new jobs not created, but 70 existing workers will lose their jobs as a direct result of this decision and close to a billion dollars of New Zealand money will boost another country's economy."

John Key says job creation must be left to the private sector, which is a vain hope when there is little incentive for anyone to create anything in New Zealand if even the government outsources its work overseas.

The Alliance Party urges people not to play John Key's blame game, but to insist that his government leads by example.

"No government work, SOE's included, that can be done by New Zealand workers should be sent out of the country. Let's see what a difference that makes to our unemployment figures, and let's give young people a future rather than blaming them for failed right wing policies."

ENDS

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