Key Notes 12/2/10 – Our Priorities for 2010
new-zealand-national-party
Fri Feb 12 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Key Notes 12/2/10 – Our Priorities for 2010
Friday, 12 February 2010, 5:19 pm
Column: New Zealand National Party
John Key
12 February, 2010
Key Notes – Our Priorities for 2010
Click here to watch my latest video journal.
OUR PRIORITIES FOR 2010
It’s great to be back in Parliament. Our team is getting stuck into the hard work, delivering on our promise of a brighter future for all New Zealanders – and making New Zealand the place our children and grandchildren want to call home.
On Tuesday I opened Parliament for the year by laying out the Government’s programme for 2010.
Our first priority is to lift the performance of our economy. We want to make New Zealand more prosperous, so it can provide well-paid jobs and better living standards for all New Zealanders and their families, and so it can provide the world-class public services we need. Click here for a summary of our economic priorities.
Our second priority is social sector reform. We need to better equip New Zealanders – and particularly young people – for the economic challenges they face. We want to lift achievement in our schools. We want to make our neighbourhoods safer for families. And we want better, faster, more convenient healthcare for all. Click here for a summary of our social priorities.
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Alternatively, read my full speech here.
I particularly want to mention four parts of the speech:
1. A Growth-Enhancing Tax System
National agrees with the Tax Working Group that our tax system has major problems with integrity, fairness, and incentives. In Budget 2010 we will start reforming the tax system.
We want taxes that create incentives to work hard, save, and get ahead. We also want taxes that are fair. That’s why we are considering personal tax cuts across the board. And that’s why we are also carefully considering a modest increase in GST, to no more than 15 per cent. We’ll maintain Working For Families and compensate low to middle income earners if there is any increase in GST.
2. Science and Innovation
Our economic future relies on new ideas. This year we will help businesses grow by connecting them with our best scientists and researchers. We’ll invest in more science and business research, drive research into agricultural greenhouse emissions, fund open-access food development facilities, and reform Crown Research Institutes.
3. Unlocking our Resources
New Zealand’s natural resources have huge potential to boost our economy and create jobs. In 2010, we’ll work to unlock that potential by reducing red tape. We’ll drive a second phase of resource management reforms, look at extending mining on Crown-owned land, remove roadblocks to irrigation, and reform aquaculture. We’ll also promote investment in capital markets while strengthening protection for investors, and look at developing New Zealand as an Asia-Pacific hub for financial services.
4. Reforming Benefits
In 2010 we’ll deliver on our promise to reform the benefit system. We want to help people who can work get back to work. We’ll adjust the benefit abatement regime to encourage them. And we’ll make sure that welfare spending gets to those who need it most.
I’ll have more to say in coming months. In the meantime, watch video of my speech here.
LIFTING ACHIEVEMENT IN OUR SCHOOLS
I’ve been blown away by the huge response to our National Standards campaign. Thanks for your comments to last week’s Key Notes. It’s clear that there’s a lot of support for our plans to assess every child’s progress in reading, writing, and maths, and report this in plain English to parents. Click here for more information on National Standards.
BUILDING THE CYCLE TRAIL
Yesterday, the Ministry of Tourism announced that 13 projects will go to stage two of the next funding round for The New Zealand Cycle Trail. The projects are in: Tauranga, Opotiki/Gisborne, Rotorua, Taupo, Ruapehu, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson/Tasman, Westport, Greymouth, Mt Cook, Queenstown, Clutha, and Central Otago. These routes were chosen from 54 applications, and promise cycle trails of spectacular beauty in some of our most breathtaking scenery. [Click here](http://www.tourism.govt.nz/Documents/Policy Website/Documents/NZCycleTrail/PhaseTwo/NZCycleTrailProjectsMap.doc) for a map of these projects and the Quick Start Trails already underway.
GETTING TO KNOW PRINCE WILLIAM
Were you in the crowd who met Prince William at the opening of the Supreme Court? See video of the walkabout here.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a barbeque with Royalty? Watch footage here.
See my Waitangi Day snaps here
Best wishes
John Key
Prime Minister
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ENDS
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