“Chris Hipkins has once again publicly undermined his Finance spokesperson, telling a blogger last night not to ‘read too much into’ the fact she committed Labour to continuing the 50 per cent debt cap, originally signed up to by Grant Robertson,” says National’s Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis.

“He also unbelievably claimed she was talking about Labour’s policy at the 2023 election, despite Barbara Edmonds specifically saying the 50 per cent cap will continue to be Labour’s policy and her rejection of the OBEGALx fiscal measure adopted in 2024.

“At the same time, she also committed to an operating surplus in the year ending June 2029, a year not mentioned in Labour’s 2023 fiscal plan, making it difficult to see how she could have been talking about their 2023 policy.

“Earlier this year, her position on public-private partnerships was promptly undermined by Chris Hipkins before she excruciatingly had to walk it back in the media.

“If New Zealanders are being told not to read into what Barbara Edmonds says is Labour’s position on debt or PPPs, how can they take seriously anything Labour says on the economy and the Budget?

“Chris Hipkins needs to start being upfront on Labour’s fiscal plan. They have opposed every savings measure and committed to spending more on virtually everything, including locally made school lunches, and half-price public transport, while also reversing changes to pay equity laws, and continuing all of this Government’s infrastructure projects.

“They will need to find the money through higher taxes, higher debt or both. A recipe that has already proven to be a disaster for Kiwis.

“If Chris Hipkins can be clear enough to undermine Barbara Edmonds’ positions on almost everything, he can be upfront on what Labour’s actual position on debt is.”

Notes:

Transcript of Chris Hipkins’ comments:

Martyn Bradbury: So why has Labour locked itself into the exact same neoliberal economic debt straitjacket that National have us chained to? Economist Bernard Hickey was heavily critical of your decision to strangle us with the exact same neoliberal limitations of net debt capped at 50 per cent of GDP.

Chris Hipkins: Well, I mean, I don't think we should read too much into the fact that Barbara was – Barbara, our Finance spokesperson – Barbara Edmonds, was talking about the policy we went into the last election with. We haven't determined the policy that we're going to go into the next election with.

© Scoop Media