Supplied Content
Grant Robertson
Oceania Room, Te Papa Museum
Wellington, May 13, 2017
The following is a highly-edited version of a speech delivered by Grant Robertson, elected from Wellington Central and Labour Party Spokesman for Finance at the Annual Congress 2017 of the Labour Party being held today and tomorrow (May 14). For full text of his speech, please visit www.labour.org.nz
At the election in September, voters will face a choice between a government led by Andrew Little with a fresh approach to give every New Zealander a fair share in prosperity or the continuation of a tired government, out of touch and stuck in the past.
A choice between fairness and inclusion or deepening inequality and division.
When Andrew asked me to take on the Finance portfolio I was clear with him that I did not view the job as one that was just about spreadsheets and statistics, or share markets and currency movements.
‘Poor’ New Zealanders
People like Bharat, who sent me a copy of a letter he wrote to the Prime Minister. He and his wife both work. 60 hours a week in total. He wrote because he cannot make ends meet. He had to borrow money from a friend to pay for medicine when his son got sick. His children don’t play sport because he cannot afford the fees. He finished his letter saying “I am lucky. I have a house to live in and my wife and I both work. But we are poor.”
As a country, we are so much better than that. New Zealand is a better place than one where you still feel poor even if you are working or where you count yourself lucky because you have a home to live in.
We are a relatively wealthy country. We are blessed with wonderful natural resources, talented people, and strong foundations built through the hard work and vision of past generations.
The best of bests
When New Zealand is at its best, we are the very best.
At our best, we are a proud country standing up for what is right on the world stage.
At our best, we are a place where we look after each other in times of crisis and in times of prosperity.
At our best, we are a country where our creators and innovators break the mould, save lives and change the world.
New economic vision
It is time for us in Labour to create a new vision for the economy. My driving ambition as the next Minister of Finance is to help create an economy with a purpose. Shared prosperity. It is time to focus on building wealth from the ground up.
And that starts with giving everyone security and opportunity. That is why the next Labour government will be relentless in getting the basics right- the building blocks of housing, education and health. In each of these areas we will take a bold and new path. Based on evidence and with a long-term plan to ensure every New Zealander is secure in their knowledge that we have got their back.
Housing development
These building blocks are not just important parts of our social fabric, but also make our economy work. Let’s just take Housing. Unless we have affordable, secure, warm, dry and safe housing for New Zealanders then they cannot achieve their potential. Employers in Auckland are telling us that they are unable to find staff who can afford to live in the city. We also know that the low quality of our rental stock is making people sick, and spending time out of the workforce.
This is why Labour is committed to the biggest developments in housing since the first Labour government. Andrew will go into this in detail tomorrow, but secure, affordable and healthy housing is at the core our economic plans because through that we build strong and prosperous communities.
Future of Work
Building an economy with a purpose was also what lay behind our ground-breaking Future of Work project. We must prepare ourselves now for a world of work that is changing more rapidly than ever before. I still fundamentally believe in the value of work. Not just for income but for all of the fulfilment and dignity it brings. As Minister of Finance I will re-assert Labour’s historic mission of full employment. In the first term of government we will lower unemployment to 4%.
Labour will make the investments in our transport infrastructure, using the power of the government balance sheet, but also through innovative financing mechanisms such as infrastructure bonds.
Immigration has been and will continue to be an important part of adding to our skill base and to the rich cultural diversity that we have. If we manage it well it will improve all of our lives, and that is what we will do.
Immigration Issue
And just as an aside- let’s remember the difference between immigration and refugee policy. I was very proud when Andrew Little announced that the next Labour government would double our refugee quota.
That is New Zealand at its best. Doing our bit to help the most vulnerable people on our planet. Only a Labour government that has the moral courage and leadership to turn that around.
The ability to give everyone a fair share in prosperity also has to be underpinned by giving workers a fair go at work.
Tax System
If we want a fair share of prosperity for all New Zealanders then we need a better, more balanced and fairer tax system. We are determined to get this right. That is why we are establishing a tax working group in government. It will not be the random and unfocused undertaking we saw from National. It will have a mandate. A mandate to develop a system that has the values of simplicity, fairness and collectability. A system where multinationals pay their fair share, where income, assets and wealth are all treated fairly, and where the new and different world of work is recognised.
With your help, we will get New Zealand at its best. A fresh approach. An economy with a purpose. A fair share for all in prosperity. That is the Labour way.
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Photo Caption:
Grant Robertson
