Dom Post praises the action
The Dom Post Editorial praises the new Government’s actions:
As Parliament resumed for 2009 on Tuesday, it was obvious the new Government wants voters to believe it plans to be busy, The Dominion Post writes. Within days, the House was debating just some of the raft of law and order bills it campaigned on, and yesterday began the process of almost wholly repealing the pernicious Electoral Finance Act.
The act, to which the former prime minister was wedded, brought only grief to Labour in the runup to last November’s election. Now, it turns out, new Labour leader Phil Goff, who believes it was a mistake, his No2, Annette King, whose job it was to defend it in Parliament, and their colleagues will vote for its repeal.
Ministerial loyalty to a party leader is one thing; cravenness is another thing entirely.
Seeing the Herald ran photos every month of those who voted for the EFA, maybe they should do a final run of those who voted to repeal it!
Outside the chamber, Prime Minister John Key and his deputy, Finance Minister Bill English, give every impression, too, of being focused, releasing in drip-feed fashion how they plan to tackle the recessionary freight train bearing down on New Zealand. In addition to last week’s so-called Small Business Relief Package, Labour’s tax cuts and the proposed rewrite of the Resource Management Act, they outlined on Wednesday $500 million of building projects to be funded by the taxpayer and, presumably, debt that the Government plans to accelerate. The projects, which cover the housing, transport and education sectors countrywide, will, they say, be fast-tracked to contribute quickly to “the Government’s economic stimulus plan”.
Yesterday, they announced a $100 million upgrade of the electricity grid.
Aucklanders will be supportive!
A degree of smoke and mirrors is evident here. Some of the ideas were already in play under the last government, but that is not to diminish their worth, particularly since their start dates are to be advanced. New Zealanders must be kept in paid work if employment here is not to emulate the train wreck already apparent in Britain and the United States, and threatening Australia.
That would be good. Sadly our recession started a year or so before their ones.