Yesterday the National Government announced a Budget of broken promises and lost opportunities, making it harder for local families to pay regular day-to-day living costs, Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins says.

“National rewarded the wealthy and ignored hardworking kiwis that need a helping hand. They’ve delivered big tax cuts to those on the highest incomes while at the same time hiking up the cost of living for ordinary working families,” Chris Hipkins says.

“National have broken their pre-election promise not to raise GST. That’s going to make it even more difficult for families to pay the bills and buy groceries.

“National tried to tell hardworking kiwis that they’d be compensated with a tax cut. But a third of all the tax cuts dished out went to the top 5 percent.

“National also made cuts to health and early childhood education, despite promising they wouldn’t cut public services. Now kiwis will have to dig deeper into their own pockets to pay for essential public services.

“The small tax cuts that most kiwi families get will be wiped out by 5.9 percent inflation before they even get to the checkout.

“The truth is a family with 2 young kids end up $55 per week worse off after GST, inflation and early childhood education charges? are all taken into account.

“The reality is that people on very high incomes are much better off following yesterday’s budget, people on average incomes are worse off.

“This year ACC premiums have gone up, health services are being cut and now GST has been increased, as have childcare costs. It’s simply not fair that the majority of New Zealanders are paying for the tax cuts of a few people on very high incomes.

“Before the last Election John Key and the National Party were going up and down the country promising Kiwis they could have big tax cuts without any cuts being made to public services or without an increase in overseas borrowing being necessary to pay for them. This year’s Budget both cuts public services and increases overseas borrowing,” Chris Hipkins says.

“I’m appalled by the National Government’s decision to load up a mountain of debt that will be left for the nation’s children and grandchildren to deal with. National’s Budget fails to plan for the future. In the next 15 years or so the number of people over the retirement age will double. How are we going to pay for that?

“National also campaigned on creating jobs and bringing down expenses. But National’s Budget does nothing for the future. It also doesn’t invest in the things we need. At the same time as the wealthy get huge tax cuts, students are being turned away from universities and hardworking kiwis will continue to battle rising costs”, Chris Hipkins says.

The latest edition of The Hipkins Herald will be hitting local letterboxes over the next few weeks. Delivered by local volunteers, the 8 page tabloid newspaper keeps local constituents informed about the work Chris is doing both within the electorate and at Parliament.

The Autumn 2010 edition discussed the National government’s proposal to increase GST, Labour’s campaign to stop loan sharks, and and recent visits to Rimutaka by Leader Phil Goff and MPs Ruth Dyson and Carmel Sepuloni. We also profile Chelsea Torrance, Rimutaka’s Youth MP.

The Labour Party has welcomed news that the Government intends to join the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) but remains sceptical about its commitment to increasing the share of New Zealand’s energy that comes from renewable sources.

“In New Zealand we’re fortunate that the majority of our electricity generation already comes from renewable sources, but the trend in recent years has been for a greater proportion to come from non-renewable sources such as gas and coal,” Labour’s energy spokesperson Charles Chauvel said.

“It’s hard to reconcile the Government’s stated commitment to renewable energy with their desire to mine minerals in our national parks.

“Gerry Brownlee thinks coal is ’sexy’, so I’m not sure how he reconciles that with National’s supposed commitment to renewable energy. I hope joining this group is a serious move and not just gesture politics by this government.

Labour’s Associate Energy Spokesperson Chris Hipkins says his Electricity (Renewable Preference) Amendment Bill provides the perfect opportunity for the National Government to demonstrate it means what it says.

“One of National’s first decisions upon becoming government was to reverse the legislative preference for new electricity to come from renewable sources that the last Labour government put in place,” Chris Hipkins said.

“My Bill reinstates that renewable preference and if the National Government is genuinely committed to renewable energy, I look forward to them supporting my Bill to select committee.

“New Zealand can lead from the front on renewable energy and gain economic and environment benefit. The Government’s commitment to joining the International Renewable Energy Agency is a step in the right direction, now it needs to be backed up with real action,” Charles Chauvel and Chris Hipkins said.

The Government must act swiftly and decisively to ensure that the profits generated by gaming machines are actually being used for charitable purposes within local communities, Labour’s Internal Affairs spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

 ”Under the Gambling Act it is very clear that profits generated from pokie machines need to be used for charitable purposes. Recent revelations that gaming machine proceeds have been used to rennovate a pokie room in a strip club, fund lavish meals in fancy restaurants, and encourage gaming venues to switch from one Trust to another, are totally unacceptable,” Chris Hipkins said.

“I congratulate the Department of Internal Affairs for the decisive action they have taken in dealing with these instances. However the fact remains that there are still some very questionable practices in parts of the pokie trust sector and the Government needs to deal with them.

“At a time when community groups are struggling for funding, it’s important that every dollar that should be used for charitable purposes actually is. Local groups and clubs who have been turned down for funding will be shocked to learn where some of the money has ended up.

“Both the current Minister of Internal Affairs Nathan Guy and his predecessor Richard Worth expressed concerns about “dubious practices” in parts of the gaming machine industry. They need to do more than just express concerns, they actually need to do something about it.

“I’m more than happy to discuss these matters with the Minister at any time to ensure he can gain sufficient support for any legislative changes that may be required. It’s time for some action,” Chris Hipkins said.

Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins is delighted the Electricity (Renewable Preference) Amendment Bill has been drawn from the ballot and will now be debated in Parliament. The Bill would prevent the construction of further non-renewable electricity generation, except where essential for security of electricity supply.

“New Zealand is fortunate that a large proportion of our electricity generation comes from renewable sources such as wind and hydro. We have so many opportunities to develop further renewable electricity generation that there really is no excuse to keep relying on fossil fuels that aren’t renewable and are bad for the environment,” Chris Hipkins says.

“By firmly establishing our commitment to renewable electricity generation we will not only be doing the right thing by the environment, we’ll also be enhancing our international reputation as a clean, green country and living up to the international commitments we have made to address the challenge of climate change.

“At a time when our international reputation as a clean green nation is being questioned, the First Reading of my Bill will provide all parties in Parliament with the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to tackling the challenge of climate change in a meaningful way. We have to live up to our reputation – it’s too valuable to lose.

“Renewable energy is the way of the future. In the medium to longer term, as the price of fossil fuels continues to rise, it will be cheaper and it will also be more secure. I hope that the reinstatement of a restriction on new thermal generation will be the first of a series of steps New Zealand takes to promote greater use of renewable energy and enhanced energy efficiency.

“Over the past two decades the majority of our growth in demand for electricity has been met by the development of non-renewable electricity generation. That’s just not sustainable.

“I challenge all parties in Parliament to do the right thing by the environment and by future generations and support this Bill at First Reading so that it can go to a Select Committee and all the evidence can be heard,” Chris Hipkins said.

The standard of care offered to the elderly is under the spotlight and Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins is urging elderly Hutt Valley residents, their families and caregivers to attend a meeting in Wainuiomata on Thursday May 13 to have their say. It’s being held at the Wainuiomata RSA in Burden Avenue at 1pm.

The Wainuiomata meeting, arranged by Grey Power with the support of Labour and the Greens, is one of 19 to be held around the country to gather data and case studies to highlight the standard of care the elderly receive at home and in rest homes.

“In recent months my electorate offices have been getting visits from distressed senior citizens complaining of their home help hours being cut to ridiculous levels, or stopped completely, many times as a result of a telephone assessment by care agencies,” Chris Hipkins says.

“I can understand the need to regularly re-assess the level of home help provided, but over the telephone is no way to tell if a person is coping at home, or not. That’s downright dangerous.

Mr Hipkins said the Grey Power meetings provide the perfect opportunity for all those concerned about our elderly to raise concerns.

Labour and Green Party spokespeople for aged care Luamanuvao Winnie Laban and Sue Kedgley say they have been inundated with calls of support from people of all ages and from all around the country, since they announced the investigation into aged care.

“The sheer volume of responses reinforces further the need for New Zealand to shine a spotlight on the sector. The biggest concern coming through is the Government’s cutting of health funding, to which several DHBs have responded by cutting home help for the elderly,” says Winnie Laban.

Winnie Laban said the investigation sought the support of all political parties.

“This is too big an issue to ignore. It is not too late for National and others to get on board. National was not interested last year, blocking my calls for an inquiry three times, but with such strong public support coning through, I hope they reconsider,” she said

Sue Kedgley said: “I am worried about the standard of care some of our most vulnerable elderly receive in aged care facilities, and the way the Government is targeting the elderly and reducing their access to vital support such as home based care.”

“Clearly there are deep seated problems in the sector and we need far greater scrutiny and accountability.”

”The support we have received from Grey Power has been invaluable in getting this investigation up and running and I’m looking forward to getting out into the community and hearing peoples stories.”

Grey Power President Les Howard said the meetings presented an excellent opportunity for the elderly to have their voices heard.

“These issues are of national importance and need to be aired publicly. I strongly encourage Grey Power members along with anyone else who is concerned to attend one of the meetings. People are also invited to make written submissions, which will be incorporated in the final report.”

Eighteen months into my role as the Member of Parliament for Rimutaka the two most common questions I get asked are what do I actually do and am I enjoying the job. The second answer is easy, I love it and I’m relishing the challenge. The first question is harder to answer because being an MP basically means doing three or four different jobs simultaneously. There is no job description and each MP has a slightly different focus. Read the rest of this entry »