Before the last election the wage gap with Australia was John Key’s #1 issue. Key even went as far as to say that the ‘fundamental purpose’ of his government would be to narrow the gap. Listening to Gerry Brownlee and John Key in the House today and yesterday, apparently the problem has been solved already.
Yesterday Brownlee claimed that the gap ‘is certainly a lot less than it was when Labour was in office’ despite the fact that it has blown out by more than $50 a week since National took office. In the last quarter, according to official statistics, Australian wages have increased by $17 a week, compared to $3 for Kiwi workers.
Kiwi workers will fall even further behind from October when they will be paying a consumption tax (GST) that is 50 percent higher than in Australia. We have caught up with Australia in one respect though, when National took over we had a lower unemployment rate – they’ve managed to turn that around in 18 months!
So where is John Key’s plan? Smiling and waving for the cameras won’t get us there. As Annette King said in the House yesterday, “It’s time for the Government to stop kicking the tyres, put some petrol in the tank. start the engine and go somewhere!”. Couldn’t have said it better…!
Excellent article in The Press today about how the wage gap has grown under National.
Smiling and waving to the cameras? Moreover, to his indolent, craven, tory mates in the political TV media, the ones who carefully slice and dice, and spin the stories for him, constructing the myth.
Articles about the same have also reached the ODT and Dom Post.
So where is John Key’s plan?
No idea Chris – perhaps he is waiting for the latest polling on the subject to tell him what the plan is?
Smiling and waving will get him re-elected though, Chris.
What’s the wage gap between us and Fiji these days?
Chris, what’s the wage gap between big Gerry and the average woodwork teacher?
@ Sean, I understand he is polling on whether to have a poll on whether to have a plan …then he can poll on what should be in it …
His plan is to sell us to China so that we become somebody else’s problem
Australia was the big red herring of the last election, along with “change”. There has been change, turning the clock back and all that, but truly, was that what they meant by a change from Labour.
Australia stimulated it’s economy we did nothing
Australia has strong unions we are trying to weaken them
The idea that Australia escaped the recession because of its minerals is simplistic, selective and plain wrong. They took many steps to stimulate the economy, where we had talkfests which were going to be do-fests but were in reality nothing-fests
Law and order meausres DO not stimulate an economy but we’ve seen rafts of that
Our propsed and actual new labour laws are poles apart from Australias, but that’s one gap they wont talk about.
Their unions and Govt and employers recently agreed on a plan to alter some of their employment laws… it is possible.
“Key even went as far as to say that the ‘fundamental purpose’ of his government would be to narrow the gap.”
Did he actually say which ages? He has lowered trust and personla tax by 5%… is that the gap he meant, or the gap he’s created between trust/personal income and company tax?
Key’s plan is to first return NZ to the Shipley era, and then continue as far as he can towards Roger.
1. Moved top tax rate back to 33% (same as in 1999)
2. Essentially repealing the ERA a clause at a time.
3. Go back to a “natural level” of unemployment.
4. Reintroducing “Work for the dole”.
5. Repeal interest-free student loans.
6. Test-balloon attacks on WFF.
7. Union, public service and beneficiary bashing.
8. Real cuts to health and education spending.
9. Test-balloon changes to superannuation.
10. Privatisation of the state sector.
They are attempting to stub out the legacy of the 5th Labour Government.
That P
LICY PARR 
T – 10 tweets of wisdom 
That last face should have been a sarcastic
– sorry, tired 
PP< an interesting list…
makes for a simple and effective (?) poster
then…………. now………………..
is this the chnage you voted for
@ Tracey, better poll that first before you rush off to the printer. Oops, that’s Johnboy, not you.
This is your issue Labour. Hammer it every day between now and the next election.
Agreed jarbury
!
NZ has been used before as an undermining influence to Australia’s union strength.
Keys emotive headline phrase of catching OZ is just a distraction and excuse to hammer home further measures to channel to the profit takers in the name of encouraging business. Lies about the taxation differences compound the deceit.
Spud
China is shopping well in NZ. Not only farms but houses are bought up in lots by millionaire visitors and their agents, in the main centres and tourist spots.
As Fonterra keeps moving towards attracting funds not related to milk quotas, incremental moves will see public float of Fonterra not too far removed. It is not what they say but what happens that counts.
The co-opeerative model has idealogical enemies and some are even employed to administer at high levels within Fonterra.
China only has to wait while the bankers prepare the playing field.
” Unemployment has jumped back up to almost 7 per cent and is much worse than economists expected.
In seasonally adjusted terms, the unemployment rate rose from 6.0 per cent to 6.8 per cent during the June quarter, Statistics New Zealand said.
Some bank economists had expected a rate of about 6.2 per cent.
This rise unwinds much of the drop in unemployment seen in the March 2010 quarter, and indicates a period of volatility in the labour market, Statistics NZ said.
Unemployment rose 19,000 during the June 2010 quarter to reach 159,000, marked by an increase in unemployed males. As with the fall in the March quarter’s unemployment, the rise this quarter was largely unexpected, and reflected movements among younger males. ”
Thanks for the Job Summit John, the do-fest not the talk-fest
Thank goodness the 90 day right to fire law will help all these young workers get one of the many jobs out there
..and get those DPB mums back to work