The two year anniversary of Winston Peters appointing a Labour Government is a reminder of the trail of broken promises and failures to deliver, National’s Campaign Chair Paula Bennett says.
“Jacinda Ardern promised to lead the most open and transparent government ever. She promised to lift children out of poverty and to end the housing crisis. Not only has she not delivered, things have got worse.
“The number of people on the dole is up by more than 22,000. The number of children living in benefit dependent households has increased by 8,000 in just over a year despite the Government’s commitment to halve child poverty in a decade. Hardship grants are higher than ever before.
“The cost of living is through the roof. Rents are up an average of $50 a week and petrol taxes have been piled on. The Government promised there would be nobody sleeping in cars this winter and yet homelessness has increased.
“KiwiBuild is the largest public policy failure this country has ever seen. Labour talked a big game on housing but has failed to deliver meaningful change and dropped all of its targets.
“Business confidence is through the floor and continues to plummet further which is no wonder when the Government has made decisions like banning oil and gas exploration.”
This is in addition to other broken promises including;
- Introducing seven new taxes despite saying there’d be none
- Seven out of nine child poverty indicators have increased
- Failing to deliver 1800 new police
- Failing to deliver 100 per cent qualified ECE teachers
- The number of people in motels has increased threefold despite saying there’d be none
- Failing to deliver a surgical mesh register
- Failing to strengthen the OIA as promised
- Embarrassed into action on Cancer by National
- Failing to increase the age of Breast Screening to 74
- Fees free resulting in fewer students
- Failing to reduce the Gender Pay Gap as promised
- Cannabis referendum won’t be binding
- Has not introduced a Volunteer Rural Constabulary (cowboy cops)
- Job growth has more than halved from 10,000 new jobs a month under National to only 4,000
- Thankfully hasn’t introduced a Capital Gains Tax like it promised
- Failed to reduce teacher child ratios in early learning
It’s not just broken promises either. The Government has displayed a staggering level of incompetence;
- Outsourcing work to nearly 300 working groups
- Cancelling all of our Roads of National Significance
- There’s a looming infrastructure crisis
- Threatening to introduce a new car tax
- Introducing a regional fuel tax
- Elective Surgery numbers decreasing
- DHB deficits blowing up
- Won’t release the letter from Julie-Anne Genter
- State Housing waiting lists going up
- Overseeing a Census disaster
- Teacher strikes
- Junior doctors strikes
- Emissions will keep rising until 2025 but were flat under National
- Couldn’t keep their own budget secret
“This Government is failing to deliver on its promises and New Zealanders have a right to feel let down. National is doing the work in Opposition and we’ll be ready to hit the ground running in 2020.”
