OPINION
I am aware bus drivers rarely handle money these days but when they do, the money they are handed and the change given have to add up. When it comes to driver Alf’s partner, Finance Minister Grant Robertson, things don’t add up. While Alf is dealing in small change and Grant is playing with billions of our money, we expect the books to balance. In the same way Alf can’t short-change a passenger, neither can Grant short-change the taxpayer and the country.
While Alf’s passengers probably have no cause for complaint, we the taxpayers and the country most certainly do. We have been short-changed mightily on various fronts. Grant has been playing with our money like it’s his play money. He’s used it akin to a child in a sweet shop who can’t keep his hand out of the lolly jar. When the jar empties, Grant borrows.
We have seen the explosion of the numbers in the back rooms of the Public Service. It reminds me of the scene from Yes Minister when Jim Hacker has arrived to start as Minister of Administrative Affairs. Humphrey Appleby is delighted to inform him of the multitude of Secretaries and Under Secretaries in the back offices. Jim asks if any of them can type and suggests they could consider opening an agency.
On the subject of Yes Minister, and to digress slightly from the point of my article, Humphrey also apologises for not always answering fully Opposition questions asked in Question Time. Jim says, “Well you answered all mine,” to which Humphrey replies, “I’m glad you thought so Minister.” Classic.
Back to Robertson. This man has adopted a ‘spray and walk away’ approach to the use of our money. He seems incapable of understanding that the money in question is not his. In addition, he seems incapable of understanding that when he spends money that is not his, the people to whom it belongs would actually like to see a return on the investment made. This, thanks to Grant’s incompetence, has never happened.
Grant has invested our money on a bike bridge that never happened and on light rail that never happened. He has invested in building houses. The return has been an abysmal number built and an ever-increasing waiting list. He has invested in health and the return is longer waits for surgery, overcrowded emergency departments and not enough frontline staff. He has invested in education and the return is just over half of students actually attending school and many leaving early with poor basic skills in reading, writing and maths.
In crime, there has been a huge investment in ankle bracelets. Until recently road cones or scaffolding were the businesses to be in but now it’s ankle bracelets. With the number of bracelets being cut, one suspects there might be an accompanying tool to make the task easier. The return on this spending has seen another cut with fewer criminals being locked up. This has led to rampant crime. Large investments made at the request of the Maori caucus have paid huge dividends for the aforementioned recipients but not for anyone else.
The government has been too slow to open the borders post Covid. The return on that has been a slow rise in the overseas students and tourism markets. It has also meant immigration holdups in admitting the skilled workers we need from other countries. As for exports, farmers are seeing prices drop and are drowning in government red tape.
Recent figures show we are second to last in the world for projected economic growth. The only country worse is Equatorial Guinea. We have the largest current account deficit in the world at minus 8.4%, far worse than second to last is Latvia at minus 5.8%. As David Farrar points out, a current account deficit approaching 10 per cent can be a major problem. It’s no wonder Grant is telling government departments to look for savings. Will he take the blame? Not likely.
And while he uses the global situation and Covid as lame excuses for his own lacklustre performance, Grant has the cheek to describe National’s tax plan as voodoo economics. A bit rich coming from someone whose achievements are among the worst of any Finance Minister in our history. Thanks but no thanks for all of the above, Grant. Alf could have done a better job.