Labour Leader Chris Hipkins has this morning committed to funding the reversal of pay equity changes no matter the cost, laying bare the party’s economic incompetence, says senior National MP Chris Bishop.

“This is Labour’s fifth and most expensive position on the issue,” says Mr Bishop.

“At first, they said they would reverse the changes, then they wouldn’t, then they would at a cost of almost $13 billion, then they would wait until next year to say what they would do, and today Chris Hipkins has told RNZ he would reverse the changes, regardless of the cost.

“For Labour to spend weeks flipflopping between positions on this issue before suddenly promising an open cheque is bizarre and reveals Labour’s fiscal and economic competence is at rock bottom.

“It’s incompatible with basic logic for Labour to make open-ended fiscal commitments while refusing to say where they stand on spending, debt and taxes.

“New Zealanders trying to interpret Labour’s economic position will rightly make the point that if you’re comfortable with making promises like this, you must have done at least some work on how you’ll pay for it.

“It’s clear Labour will increase taxes, spend more and take on more debt, which would drive up interest rates, stunt economic growth and leave working Kiwis falling behind again.”

Notes:

Chris Hipkins on RNZ’s Morning Report today:

INGRID HIPKISS: Well, you would change- you would reverse the pay equity changes regardless of the cost?

CHRIS HIPKINS: Absolutely. We've said that we will make sure that women get their pay equity. The reason we're not putting a dollar figure on it is we don't know what the Government's dollar figures have been arrived from. So, you know, they need to release the information about, A, how much is still left in that contingency, and B, you know, how they arrived at that very large sum.

…

INGRID HIPKISS: Sure. But you're saying you will make the change, you will reverse those pay equity changes regardless of the cost?

CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes, because women deserve to be properly paid for the work that they're doing.

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