National and Labour deputy leaders go head-to-head on Morning Report
Photo:
RNZ
The National and Labour deputy leaders are set to go head-to-head on Morning Report's weekly political panel. You can listen live above, on our app or
on the radio
.
So far this week, there has been plenty to discuss, including buildings, ferries, and a tit-for-tat on the economy.
The government has kept its AA+ credit rating, with ratings agency Fitch praising both National and Labour's
emphasis on fiscal responsibility
.
But on Tuesday, Nicola Willis said the reminder of fiscal responsibility was a "warning shot" to Labour.
She accused Labour leader Chris Hipkins of pretending the country's debt servicing costs were not something to worry about, despite the bill reaching almost $9 billion a year.
"This kind of fiscal innumeracy is dangerous for New Zealand," she said. "Every New Zealander will pay the price if a Labour-Greens government puts our fiscal reputation at risk."
In return, Hipkins scoffed at Willis' assessment, noting Labour had not yet released its full fiscal plan.
"Nicola Willis is speculating on what our policy may or may not be. We haven't set out a policy yet," he said.
"We've got to see how much more damage she'll do in the next 12 months before we can do that."
The government began the week with an announcement it will
change the liability settings in the Building Act
to a proportionate system, in which parties are only liable for the work they carry out.
It is a change from the 'joint and several' system, where liability is shared between all parties, regardless of cost or responsibility.
Details on consumer protections, including whether the government will require mandatory professional indemnity insurance or warranties, are still to be worked through ahead of the legislation's introduction.
Labour has said it is broadly supportive of the changes, but wants to see more work around those consumer protections so homeowners are not left out of pocket.
Also recently in the news has been the
money spent on cancelling the Cook Strait ferry contracts
.
A final $144 million payout to Hyundai Mipo shipyards in South Korea brought the total cost to $671m.
Willis cancelled the iReX project shortly after the coalition came into power, saying the budget had blown out. New ferries are not due until 2029, with the Aratere sailing its final journey.
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