Comment
Labour leader Andrew Little took the easy option in his pre-Budget speech yesterday, highlighting two things Finance Minister Bill English is certain to mention in his speech on Thursday - health and education.
Mr Little said a Labour government would deliver a Budget that had health and education as priorities and took action on housing.
Health and education are sure to feature on Thursday and it will be a major surprise if National does not target a housing policy to take some of the pressure off the Auckland market.
So far, measures by the Reserve Bank and the Government have been unsuccessful in cooling housing prices in Auckland.
Regional areas are now feeling some of the heat as Aucklanders look further afield for houses and jobs.
In what will be a range of speeches this week, including one today from Labour finance spokesman Grant Robertson, Labour will be trying to differentiate itself from the Government in any way it can.
Mr Little says the Government should just stop the squeeze on middle New Zealanders and deliver a Budget that delivers shared prosperity for all.
New research commissioned by Labour shows working families have seen their slice of the economy shrink by $50 a week under the current Government, he says.
"Since National came to power, just 37% of economic growth has gone into the pay packets of working families. Under the last Labour government, that figure was over 50%.
"If working New Zealanders' share of the economy hadn't shrunk under National, the average family would now be $50 a week better off. All up, the average family has missed out on more than $13,000 under this Government.''
Mr Little does not mention the help many working families receive through Working for Families, and other programmes, aimed at helping people work and bring up children.
Free child care is one of those.
Also, low inflation and lower-for-longer interest rates have helped households manage their finances, despite low or no pay rises.
Meanwhile, the services families depend upon have been squeezed too far. Health has been underfunded by $1.7billion.
Education costs for parents and students are rising at 10 times the rate of inflation, he says.
One area Labour can gain traction in this week is the so-called Kiwi dream of home ownership disappearing.
Mr Little needs to be active this week in highlighting the number of people unable to buy their own homes or being forced to live in crowded or cold conditions as winter hits.
Mr Little has three days to make a dent in the Government before Mr English outlines his spending programmes for the next year, which will again be designed to cut the policy ground from under Labour.
