The BFD | Collins’ Comments

Hon Judith Collins
judithcollins.national.org.nz

Shock and sadness after death of British MP

I am sure we were all shocked and saddened to hear of the death of British Conservative MP Sir David Amess last week. It is a sobering reminder that we live in times where there are deepening divisions in our democratic society that are becoming increasingly dangerous at both ends of the political spectrum.This attack reminds us that while people should be free to disagree and to debate the issues, resorting to violence is unconscionable.The National Party condemns this senseless act of violence and our hearts go out to Mr Amess’s family and the Conservative Party in Britain.

Auckland locked down with no end in sight

The Government is keeping Auckland at alert level 3 for another ten days at least, saying that if the vaccine target set today, Friday, is reached, then restrictions will be loosened.

The plan to get Auckland out of lockdown has been a very long time coming and the Labour Government clearly has had no plan, no ideas and has provided no hope for Aucklanders until forced by the National Opposition.

We have been calling for the Prime Minister to lay out the conditions and timeframe for Auckland coming out of level 3. We want her to travel back to the city to see first-hand the damage caused by nine weeks of lockdown.

Why didn’t the PM say weeks ago that Level 3 won’t be eased until there is 90% double vaccination, which could take another month now? We think it’s time to get moving and we want the 1^st of December to be the day that we all get our freedom and the whole country gets back to business.

If this doesn’t happen what will the cafes, the gyms, the hairdressers, the beauticians, the chiropractors and other service industries do? How are they coping after 66 days of closure in Auckland? Not one of them is to blame for the pandemic or the Government’s poor response. These are good, solid businesses, owned by hardworking Kiwis employing others, that have shut and some will not be able to reopen.

There are now more than 190,000 working age Kiwis on the JobSeeker benefit. Likewise, none of the children and teenagers who have missed a term at school have had any option but to be shut in their own homes in Auckland.

None of you deserves the hardship that this pandemic lockdown has brought with it and at the very least you deserve a Government that acts with urgency to get you back to your ‘normal’ life.

Back in September my National’s MP’s Chris Bishop, Dr Shane Reti and Simon Watts and I launched our ‘Opening Up‘ plan to end lockdowns and reopen New Zealand to the world.

The Government have now adopted yet another of these Opening Up ideas and at last, they are reserving MIQ spaces for healthcare workers – as we have been urging them to do for many months.

Back in Business

This week we launched our economic plan ‘Back in Business‘ – National’s plan to save livelihoods and unleash our economy. The Government cannot just continue to borrow while locking down our economy and hoping for the best.

Since the initial Covid outbreak around 80,000 New Zealanders have been pushed onto welfare.

The closure of the border has wiped $20 billion from our economy with the loss of international students and tourists.

In the two months before the latest outbreak more than 11,000 businesses closed their doors for good.

Without urgent action, this lockdown will see many more businesses and their workers go the same way. This can be avoided with the right plan and National has it.

Our plan is focused on responding to the immediate impact and then enabling growth for businesses through reconnecting with the world economy.

To respond to the immediate economic impact of Covid-19, we would provide a number of measures to struggling businesses, offer smarter rules for managing lockdowns, and make it easier for businesses to operate.

We would offer immediate support to save jobs and keep businesses afloat.

There must be clarity around public health rules for business on vaccination, regional borders rules and alert level requirements.

We would reduce the burden on businesses and workers by cutting taxes on small businesses and on workers.

We would offer incentives for investment, freeze costly new regulations affecting businesses and provide support for mental health in the sector.

The National Opposition Plan would deliver targeted support to save the highly affected hospitality and tourism industries. Things like vouchers for dining, insurance for cancelled events and allowing for more outdoor dining, would be supported.

National believes the business sector should play a much bigger role in our Covid-19 response. As we head towards the National Opposition’s 85-90% vaccination milestone, business needs a clear plan for moving away from blanket restrictions to a more sophisticated model based on trust and technology.

My team and I are committed to ending lockdowns, stopping the unprecedented borrowing, reopening our economy, backing new businesses and reconnecting to the world. And Christmas.

Best wishes for your Labour Weekend, Judith