National’s coffers point to a pre-campaign blitz

new-zealand-labour-party

Fri Aug 20 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

National’s coffers point to a pre-campaign blitz

Friday, 20 August 2010, 4:08 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

**National’s coffers point to a pre-campaign blitz
**

Reports of a recent flurry of large donations to the National Party coffers suggest the Government is preparing for a pre-campaign blitz to avoid the regulated spending period, Labour’s Justice spokesperson Lianne Dalziel said today.

“It’s clear National’s big business interests are rallying behind it, but the real question is how it plans to use hundreds of thousands of dollars it has received recently,” Lianne Dalziel said.

“The $355K boost to National's coffers suggests a war chest for an early election spend to avoid the regulated period, confirming fears that John Key plans to use the new electoral financing rules to his advantage.

"The Prime Minister will know the date of the election before anyone else and therefore will know when he can spend vast sums on electoral advertising that will not count against the cap on spending.

"Steven Joyce was National's campaign manager in 2005 when the Iwi/Kiwi billboards were used early in the year to avoid being caught by the then regulated spending period. Now they will know they can get away with that right up to the calling of the election.”

Lianne Dalziel said that new electoral financial laws were currently before a select committee and she has expressed concerns about the advantage they will give to the person who calls the election.

"I know that New Zealanders do not want to see us descend into US-style political campaigns with no effective limits on spending, however this is clearly a sign that this is what is intended.”

ENDS

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