The Young National's attack on Helen Clark for voting the way her conscience, and her electorate dictate, is pathetic, Moana Mackey, President New Zealand Young Labour said today.

"Their claims that the Prime Minister voting in favour of 18 proves that she is in touch with young people is laughable, given her track record in government," Miss Mackey said.

"One vote does not redeem her for nine years of ignoring the hardships and problems faced by young New Zealanders. Lets not forget that she has also voted to scrap the unemployment benefit & DPB for 16 & 17 year olds, scrap the Training Benefit, tighten the criteria for the Independent Youth Benefit, and scrap the emergency unemployment benefit for students who don't get student allowances . All this on top of tertiary fees and student debt, both of
which are spiralling out of control."

"If this is what the Prime Minister delivers to young people when she is clued up, lets hope she never loses touch," Miss Mackey said.

Young Labour has been lobbying MPs, particularly on the importance of education and enforcement. The Government has already signalled that there will be no extra funding towards increased enforcement of the drinking age. " Young Labour believes that enforcement is the key issue. The legal drinking age is redundant if it is never policed and never enforced, no matter what that age may be.

"It is interesting also to note that their own Youth Affairs Minister, Tony Ryall, was among the many National Party MP's who voted against the lower drinking age. If voting against the 18 drinking age is an indication of being out of touch with youth in NZ, as the Young Nats claim, then this bodes very badly for the Youth Affairs portfolio. Conversely, Labour's Youth Affairs spokesperson, Lianne Dalziel, not only voted in favour of the lowered age, but was responsible for providing the amendment which ultimately resulted in the vote being won. I'm sure Daniel Gordon and all the Young Nationals will be congratulating Lianne Dalziel, for being so in touch her constituency," Moana Mackey said.

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