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In my last article I was somewhat critical of National for its strategies and some of its policies not being sufficiently in tune with its core voter base. That was not to detract from the fact that a National/ACT coalition will form the next Government. One thing I think Luxon has got right is to not completely rule out a working relationship with Winston and NZF. Even if Winston is not officially part of the coalition, it is important to have him onside.
If I were Luxon I would offer him the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, a job he has done well previously. I would then make sure he spent a fair amount of time out of the country and out of the way. Whether he is needed in a coalition or not, being able to add his numbers would give an overall boost to the right. Thanks to Labour and NZF ruling each other out, Winston has nowhere else to go, and I think it’s preferable to have him inside the tent in some form.
There are other positives to a National win. Their MPs who will hold key ministerial portfolios are of a much higher calibre than the current dispirited and unimpressive lot. Six years of ‘all talk and no trousers’ has got us where we are today, second to last in the OECD for projected growth, and having the world’s worst current account deficit – approaching ten per cent of GDP. National knows what needs to be done to turn things around. They have the people needed to carry out the tasks.
Shane Reti will make an excellent Minister of Health. A practising and experienced doctor, he understands the problems and has taken a hands-on approach, such as spending a night with frontline ambulance staff. There will be a shake-up within the ministry, fewer back-office staff and middle management and more doctors and nurses. For those coming from overseas, there will be an easier path to residency. The non-achieving Maori Health Authority will be dispensed with. There will be targets for patients being seen and surgical wait times.
Erica Stanford will make an excellent Minister of Education. Students will be back in school rather than committing crime; learning of reading, writing and maths will be compulsory for an hour each day. Other parts of the curriculum will be looked at, such as science and history. Charter schools will be reintroduced to help those, mainly from lower socioeconomic groups, not suited to the state system. Structured literacy, announced on Friday, is a very good idea.
Nicola Willis will make an excellent Minister of Finance. She has developed her skills in the real world. She has experience working at companies such as Fonterra rather than, like her opponent, debating at the student union. Nicola understands how finance works in the business world. Wasteful spending will be stopped. The public service will be trimmed. Less of the Sir Humphrey Appleby-types holding up progress.
Simeon Brown will make an excellent Minister of Transport. There will be an emphasis on roads so people can more easily get from A to B. This will help trim the time taken in the transportation of goods, especially with the East-West link in Auckland. Light rail will be scrapped in favour of the completion of the eastern busway. Busways, from the east to the airport and out to the northwest, will be started. The northern busway is proof these work. A second harbour crossing will be progressed.
Louise Upston will make an excellent Minister of Social Development and Employment. Again there will be targets to be met. The Jobseeker benefit will be tightened up, and those receiving it will be expected to be actively looking for work. Welfare in general will be more focused and National, unlike Labour, may be slightly more interested in who the father of the latest sprog is.
Mark Mitchell will make an excellent Minister of Police. Having served on the front line he knows exactly what the problems are and how to fix them. The Police will be very happy to finally have a minister who backs them. This will be a marked change from the current voluble little upstart. There will be a a crackdown on gangs and, I imagine, in conjunction with the Justice Minister, the judiciary will be given guidance that the punishment must fit the crime.
If I were Christopher Luxon I would split agriculture and trade and offer agriculture to Andrew Hoggard, the former President of Federated Farmers, standing for ACT. He is eminently qualified for the job, and farmers, after the last six years, will be looking for someone who understands their problems and can lobby on their behalf. I would leave trade with Todd McClay, who will do a very good job.
Chris Bishop will make an excellent Minister of both Infrastructure and Housing. These areas are to a degree linked and he has said that, unlike Labour, there will be more action and less talk. In other words the trousers will be worn and the tools will be in hand. Houses will be built, roads will be improved and proposed public transport links will be progressed.
I could go on but I think the above serves to illustrate and highlight the difference between having people with outside experience to fill ministerial roles, compared to career politicians. The National/ACT government won’t agree on everything, but they mostly do in the important areas: increasing productivity, law and order, charter schools, improving the health system and getting people off welfare and into work.
As usual they will have a huge mess to clean up, some from weather events, but mostly from the worst government in our lifetime. October 15 is a day of celebration. October 16 is roll up the sleeves day. Having said all of the above, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. National/ACT had better, like a good steamed pudding, rise up and be sweet to the tastebuds.
