United Future

The NZ election debate in 2011 is likely to be more about the proposed solutions - rather than defining the problems. Most people and parties now seem to agree we have a deep-seated,structural problem in our current account deficit. We have not chalked up a surplus in our trade with the world since the early 1970s. This is important because we have to fund the gap between income (from exports) and spending (on imports) with either our own national savings or borrowings from overseas. Since we tend not to save we now have a large amount of overseas debt to be repaid. This helps explain why interest rates are higher than overseas and why large parts of our economy are now in foreign ownership.

The best solution to this is do what Australia and Singapore do - build up our own pool of NZ savings capital through a compulsory savings scheme.

I voted for united future but I dont think that I will be again unfortunately due to the way he has handled the ird child support issue and you lot dont realise that how many people in this country are on or just above the minimum wage level.Then,you take irds calculation of $45 per $100 for living that doesnt leave much.Now I have children and as most other fathers would be more than prepared to pull my weight when it came to my children.I bet that you lot would be up in arms on the first day if you had to live on that sort of wage for a month.If Mr Dunne really wanted to make a change then he would have by now.We have seen it with the antismacking law,and that is living proof that if a mp wants to make a change it can be done.Then there are the others that turn up for attendance money.Which one is Mr Dunne? I dont know really but am leaning towards the latter.I thought that this man was going to come in and really shake things up when it came to family issues but this doesnt seem to be the case.IRD really does need a revamp but I guess then we would have to pay more gst or something stupid like that if ird had nothing to do with child support.Then there are the people that hide behind trusts,businesses etc and ird say they dot have the power? what a crock of junk! I have a friend who has had this problem and its not hard to do an audit and convieniantly pass the personal drawings side of it on to child support.Thia is all about how to get money to pay the politicians wages and housing and expenses,but only taking the easy pickings as the ones that hide are in the too hard basket.I noticed the other night on the news that the amount of fines owed are absurd and you will go to any lengths to get those but when it comes to child support you will only go so far.this needs to be dealt with and now

Maye be a few facts on the child support issue would be helpful. I initiated a review of aspects of the scheme, particularly around shared parenting and the forumula in 2008, during the term of the previous government. You may recall that as part of that review, for the first time ever, work was carried - by the Families Commission - to determine the actual cost of raising a child at various stages. I put specific proposals for change before the Cabinet in the latter part of last year, but the Cabinet chose to defer those. I have spent the last few months working through the issue with my officials to overcome the Cabinet's concerns, and will be presenting revised proposals shortly. I am extremely frustrated that progress has not been quicker, but I am not going to take out my frustration throguh personal insults. The blunt truth is that I am the only politician in the last decade to have shown any interest at all in modernising the child support system, and I remain determoned to do so.