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ACT’s Best Poll
Result In 17 Years
Roy Morgan, an Australian pollster, just reported ACT at five
percent. Last time ACT polled this high in any poll was 2003. The
momentum is real. ACT is packing out pubs every night. People are
donating thousands of dollars after hearing David Seymour and ACT
candidates speak. If you’d like to join or
support
ACT, there’s never been a better time.
A
Triumph
ACT supporters packed the ASB Waterfront Theatre on the weekend to
launch the 2020 election campaign. It was the biggest and best ACT
event in over a decade. The buzz was palpable, and the media had to
work to the edge of their capabilities to find a negative angle. Most
failed. The calibre candidates was the highest in many elections and
Free Press profiles them below.
And We Can
Still Win
The trickiest thing the National Leader has to do is win the
centre. We wish Judith Collins well, but it ultimately might be events
rather than personalities that decide the result. The media will focus
on the personalities, and this is always its mistake. The issues
voters need addressed have not changed. In his speech at the weekend,
David Seymour identified three. You can watch the full conference
proceedings including David’s speech here.
Issue
One
How do we get smart about public health and safely reconnect with
the world? The world’s changed. It will likely stay changed for years.
Borrowing money and waiting for a vaccine is unsustainable. We need to
take a leaf from the Taiwanese book, and aim to lead the world at
smart public health.
Issue Two
How do we deal with the debt this Government has accumulated? The
Government has just committed to borrowing $200,000 on behalf of a
family of five. That’s on the assumption the economy bounces back to
normal by 2023. It could be much worse. ACT’s Alternative Budget shows
how we could balance the budget by 2023.
Issue
Three
How do we seize the opportunities of being an island nation on a
pandemic planet? This could be the kickstart we have long needed. We
could attract back skilled New Zealanders who left, and investment
capital, too. We need to reform the RMA, free up foreign investment
from friendly democratic countries, and welcome innovation in areas
such as genetic modification and fintech, where outdated laws drive
innovation away.
Great Candidates and
Policies
Our candidates wowed the crowd at the
weekend.
Brooke and Mental Health
Experienced pundits described Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden as
‘polished’ as she rolled out ACT’s new mental health policy. A single
funder of mental health services nationwide would remove the
bureaucracy and fragmentation in the system. It would also point to
mental health as something modern New Zealand takes seriously enough
to put on the same level as physical health. The same money will be
used to achieve more choice and efficiency.
Nicole and
Employment Insurance
Too many people languish on the dole for generations. On the other
hand, others pay $500 or $1,000 a week in tax, but if they lose their
job through no fault of their own, they find $200 on the dole is
nothing like what they paid in, nor sufficient to cover their
outgoings. ACT’s employment insurance policy means you pay 0.55
percent of your income (offset by tax reductions) into a ring-fenced
fund, and can claim 55 percent of your normal income if you lose your
job (time-limited).
And After Employment
Insurance?
If you run out of employment insurance, you can still go on the
dole but it will come in the form of electronic income management.
Sole Parent Support (the DPB) is unchanged except if you continue
having kids while receiving it, in which case it moves to electronic
income management so kids get the benefit. All other types of welfare
remain the same. The full policy is here.
It has sparked enormous discussion and shows the impact Nicole McKee
will have as an MP.
Chris and Small
Business
Chris Baillie is a former police officer, secondary school teacher,
and employer of 30 people in his own business. His passionate defence
of free thinking and free speech for the next generation was a
highlight of the conference. He also launched ACT’s small and medium
enterprise policy, a series of positive, practical steps to lower
compliance costs and make it easier to focus on generating value for
customers.
A Tour de Force
Altogether there’s never been a better time for ACT. If you agree,
please join
us, donate,
or volunteer
for our growing movement.
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