The BFD | ACT’s Week in Action

ACT Party

This week – ACT reveals our latest COVID-19 policy document, COVID 3.0 – Life after Lockdowns.

Karen Chhour takes on Oranga Tamariki and we hold the Government to account over Three Waters.

IN THE NEWSCOVID 3.0 – Life after Lockdowns

ACT released its latest in a series of documents about the response to COVID with COVID 3.0 – Life after lockdowns. As Mike Hosking said, “there’s a lot to like in ACT’s COVID plan.”ACT was the first opposition party to release a comprehensive plan, with Tuesday’s release being the third iteration.

The plan has had widespread media coverage, it has five main points: Recognise that eradication no longer stacks up. We must move to a policy of harm minimisation. This policy should aim to reduce transmission, hospitalisation, and death from COVID at the least possible cost of overall wellbeing. Move from isolating whole cities to isolating only those who it makes sense to isolate… those who are medically vulnerable and require special protection, those who have recently arrived in New Zealand and are privately isolating, and those who have tested positive as part of widespread surveillance testing.

Move from chronic fear and uncertainty and get on a clear path to restoring freedom. We should settle when the vaccine rollout is ‘complete’ and aim to get Kiwis home for Christmas.

Move from a ‘government knows best’ approach to an approach of openness, and host all in ‘sprints’. In each sprint, the business community and all of society are invited to help reach clearly identified goals of lower transmission rates, hospitalisations, and deaths, in time for reopening.

The entire tone of New Zealand’s COVID response should shift from fear and a singular focus on public health to a focus on maximising overall wellbeing. You can watch David explain our plan with John Campbell on Breakfast here.

Oranga Tamariki should be colour blind

Being in Level 3 in Auckland hasn’t stopped our Children’s spokesperson Karen Chhour from having a huge week fighting for our most vulnerable children. Nearly every MP says they want to reform CYFPs/CYFs/Oranga Tamariki. Karen lived it and came to Parliament to make a better world for children. Her own story of overcoming adversity to have a loved family of her own and a successful business is the embodiment of ACT values. She changed her future. Karen has published a piece on Magic Talk’s website about why Oranga Tamariki needs to stop being so divisive. She also appeared on Q+A on Sunday talking about why all children who go into care need to be treated equally. She has drafted a Member’s Bill that would make positive changes to the system that would improve the lives of children.

This week another report into Oranga Tamariki was released. Karen‘s response was recognised by Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper who described her comments as “poignant.”

Three Waters

The feeling against the Government’s Three Waters proposals is clear with 24,000 people signing a petition on the ACT website against it. David Seymour spoke with Kerre McIvor about the proposed reforms earlier this week.ACT has a plan that would: Provide for councils to enter into voluntary “shared services” agreements, gaining the benefits of scale, while retaining local ownership and control.

Establish long term 30-year Central Government-Local Government Partnership agreements to plan water infrastructure upgrades tailored to specific regions
Establish Public-Private Partnerships (through our proposed Nation Building Agency) to attract investment from financial entities such as KiwiSaver funds, ACC, iwi investment funds, etc
Expand the exemption from domestic supply for a single dwelling to also include all small water suppliers supplying fewer than 30 endpoint users.

IN THE HOUSE

David Seymour spoke against a Bill that introduced reckless and destructive commercial property laws. ACT is the only party in Parliament who truly supports property rights – voting against the Government’s disgraceful changes to commercial property laws.