National Widens Gap with Australia | The Jackal

14 Aug 2011

National Widens Gap with Australia

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't National promise to close the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia? I seem to recall them campaigning on that promise. Unfortunately because of their archaic policies, that gap is now increasing twice as fast under National, but try telling John Key et al that.

A while ago John Key used the excuse that low wages in New Zealand are a good thing because it encouraged overseas investment.

Theoretically that investment would create jobs. Well if low wages increased investment, we would see a reduction in unemployment. Low wages are clearly not the answer, as it has not resulted in increased levels of investment to create jobs. The argument that implementing a youth wage to create jobs is similarly incorrect.

We already have low wages and our unemployment remains high. Nationals only answer has been Paula Bennett throwing thousands of people off the dole and making the re-application process even harder to meet to try and hide the fact that New Zealand's inequality and poverty levels are increasing exponentially under National.

The rhetoric that National is currently using is clearly defunct, and the main proponent of that defunct mind set is John Key.



FFS! Nobody can argue that you can reverse the trend of an increasing wage gap and mass exodus to Australia in three years? But that’s exactly what you did John Key. In fact it was a key campaign promise, and one that National has completely failed to uphold.

National has completely failed to close the wage gap with Australia because they had no intention of doing so. It’s my opinion that National continues to have no plan to resolve the situation, and that if National had any intention of closing the gaps in the first place we would have seen some effect of their campaign promise by now.

Around 30,000 Kiwi’s leave New Zealand each month, mainly because of our low waged economy. John Key promised to close the gap but has instead increased the cost of living in New Zealand and done nothing to resolve the mass exodus that continues to undermine any economic recovery.

Instead of acknowledging their failure, the National party are resorting to bold faced lies. The gap continues to grow, and at an increased rate under National. Wake up to the reality of your negative policies John Key, and stop lying to us.

The National party lying about the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia is nothing new. Back in July 2010 Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee gave us the same bullshit, showing that they refuse to recognize the reality of the situation.

Brownlee claimed the gap in average wages was less than it was when Labour left office in November 2008. However, a comparison of average weekly earnings in November 2008 and February 2010 showed New Zealand wages grew by 5.2 per cent over that period while Australia's grew by 6.7 per cent.

That equates to a $40 per week difference between New Zealand and Australian wages in less than two years. Gerry and John either do not read the relevant data set and are therefore in dereliction of duty or they are blatantly lying. Either way, you should decide not to give them your vote this coming election.