ACT empowers families with choices they can use to Change their Future. ACT will cut taxes and red tape to jump start our economic recovery. This article is about operating safely on a pandemic planet, with next week focussed on how we do our best today for our children’s tomorrow.
New Zealand is an island nation where almost every person in the population has family overseas. We are not unique – 66% of COVID free countries are island nations. Whether by luck or good fortune we have choices – choices in how we engage with the world. We need to be actively implementing our safeguards now, and learning from the best countries. A public health boost so our economy can operate safely Our national experts that protect us from disease outbreak are spread across 12 local agencies, and in recent years were side-tracked by successive governments into rule making on what you smoke, drink and eat. New Zealand was unprepared for a disease outbreak – but we got through because of the large moat around our country – like most island nations.
ACT will establish one national agency – charged with protecting us, our economy and our border from disease. The budget will be doubled. Global technology (some Kiwi grown) is now available to prevent, manage and treat outbreaks. Detection, quarantine, tracking and treatment all have improvements available if we let the private sector complement the traditional but limited government department approaches. Like many diseases, a vaccine is nice but not necessary.
Who delivers new technology and approaches fastest?
If anyone could predict the next super bright idea, we would be buying shares, banking the millions, and making lists of people/causes to help. Diligent government officials have no better insight, and will continue to do what they are trained for – operating processes, avoiding risk and enforcing rules.
ACT recognises that our diverse community businesses will innovate in ways we cannot imagine. The role of government is to define the outcome required, and let anyone meet or better them. Businesses can quarantine people in smart flexible ways to build transport projects, pick strawberries, race Americas cup yachts, make movies, study, take a tour of remote wilderness, and any other worthy activity that powers our economy. Let them.
Can New Zealand be as good as other countries?
The falling death rates in the richest countries, and the low infection rates in the smartest countries, show us that the scientific process is winning. As a country we have the opportunity to focus on “what we can do”, and how we seize the opportunity of “a desirable nation on a pandemic planet”. Fear need not rule us.
Richer countries can afford more research, more testing and better treatment. This is a lesson to note. If New Zealand does not get on top of the $140bilion of debt we are borrowing, and take measures to minimise the 20% unemployment predicted by Treasury, then we will not be able to afford to defend our standard of living in the longer term. Electorate MPs often deal with difficult cases where a healthcare treatment is available in Australia (or India) … but not in New Zealand.
ACT empowers you to Change your Future
This election requires an honest conversation about both the problems, and how to enable opportunity. ACT’s 5-point plan to jump start the economy with reduced taxes and red tape, will enable our community to innovate, building prosperity and securing the healthcare protection we want for our ourselves and our kids.
A Party Vote for ACT is a decision to Change your Future.
– by ACT’s candidate for Mt Roskill, Chris Johnston, who has outlined above, what principles and policies ACT stands for. Chris is a Project Manager who was born in Whanganui and has lived around Mt Roskill and Dominion Road for eight years with his wife and children.