5. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn) Link to this
to the Minister of Finance
Does he stand by his statement that “For most people, the measure of a recession is whether they have a job”?
Hon BILL ENGLISHHon David Cunliffe Link to this
Does the Minister consider that the 6 percent unemployment recorded in today’s household labour force survey is acceptable; if so, why; if not, why does he not have a credible plan to manage the economy through the recession?
Hon David Cunliffe Link to this
If that is not acceptable, what does the Minister consider has caused New Zealand’s unemployment rate to leapfrog that of Australia; does he consider that Australia faces it as well, and does he consider it relevant that the Australian stimulus package exceeds 5 percent of GDP and that his Government’s package is only 3.5 percent, now less—
Mr SPEAKERI apologise for interrupting the honourable member, but I say to both sides of the House that the level of interjection has become totally unacceptable. I could not hear. I invite the member to repeat his question—but please do not make it too long.
Hon David Cunliffe Link to this
I will repeat it without addition. What does the Minister consider has caused New Zealand’s unemployment rate to leapfrog that of Australia, and does he consider it relevant that the Australian stimulus package exceeds 5 percent of GDP and that his Government’s is now only 3.5 percent, less than the 4.5 percent put in place by the outgoing Labour Government?
The biggest difference is that the Australian economy has basically kept going while New Zealand has had 18 months of recession. It would be severely delusional on his part to believe that the previous Labour Government had put in place a stimulus package before it left. It left a whole lot of unfunded promises and a stack of press releases that it called an economic programme.
Amy AdamsOne of the reasons New Zealand is in a different situation from Australia is that the New Zealand recession began in January 2008, as a result of 7 or 8 years of economic mismanagement by the previous Government. Then the global recession hit in October last year, and the combination of the two has unfortunately meant that people were relying on jobs that they thought were sustainable, but they have turned out not to be.
Jacinda ArdernWill he guarantee that no young New Zealander will be denied access to the unemployment benefit until he or she is supported into full-time work or training, given that youth unemployment has not been as high as this since 1994 and his youth jobs package will help only 14 percent of unemployed young people?
The youth unemployment package is pretty extensive; it is going to help well over 10,000 young people to keep in connection with the world of work and skills. We believe that it reflects the right balance of fiscal cost and short-term assistance for young people who need work.
Sue MoroneyHow will women measure the performance of his Government, given that 15,000 out of the 24,000 people thrown out of work in the June quarter were women—that is, 62.5 percent of those who have lost jobs are women—and that his Government has no plans for job creation in the areas of the economy where women work?