Kia ora John —
This week, we’ll continue feeling the impact of National’s choice to make everyday life harder for New Zealanders.
I’m particularly concerned about people being unable to afford their medications, with the $5 prescription charge returning for some people from July 1. We have heard from people who are having to choose between medications as they can’t afford everything they’ve been prescribed – a choice nobody should be forced to make.
We should be doing everything we can to make sure our health system is running smoothly and wait times are kept down. Instead, National has chosen to bring back prescription charges, repeal our anti-smoking laws and cut administration roles, leaving stretched doctors and nurses to pick up more paperwork. Meanwhile, unemployment, rates and rents are predicted to rise, and the National Government has no plan to ease the cost-of-living pressure for families.
Read: Your top concerns about National's Budget <[link removed]>
Instead, National has cut funding for public housing and left thousands of people unemployed. Jobs in our most important sectors have been slashed, including people working to stop child exploitation, improve our biosecurity, keep our healthcare system running, and restore the habitats of our native and endangered species. Cutting thousands of jobs while spending billions of dollars on a tax break for landlords, charter schools, and more prison beds is short-sighted and will leave our communities worse off.
National continues to make life harder for workers, by undermining their basic rights. They’ve rushed to scrap Fair Pay Agreements, brought back 90-day trials, and are now looking to cut sick leave for part-timers <[link removed]>.
Add your voice: Save part-time workers' sick leave <[link removed]>
The recent minimum wage increase was half of what officials advised, and National has also taken the minimum wage top-up away from hundreds of disabled workers, meaning some could be paid as little as $2 per hour. In Government, Labour was working to end the minimum wage exemption for people with disabilities, ensuring all workers could work with dignity and be paid fairly.
Rather than supporting the things our communities need and deserve – like accessible healthcare, housing, healthy school lunches <[link removed]>, secure work and affordable public transport – National are choosing to make life harder and leave behind those who are struggling the most.
With your help, we’ll keep up the pressure and put a stop to these reckless cuts before they go any further.
Chris Hipkins,
Labour Leader
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Authorised by Rob Salmond, 187 Featherston St, Wellington.
