KEY POINTS:
Unemployment is going to be the biggest issue the Government has to deal with in the months ahead, Finance Minister Bill English said today as National's first 100 days in office came to a close.
Ministers have ticked off all the 100-day commitments that were made before the election and opinion polls published in the last few days have shown it is more popular now than it was in November.
But it faces major challenges in dealing with the impact of the international recession.
"I think unemployment is going to be the single biggest issue because it has the biggest impact on people," Mr English said on Radio New Zealand.
"It's not just those who lose their jobs, but those who fear they might."
Prime Minister John Key said he thought the Government was "travelling very well" after its first 100 days.
"We had around 27 commitments and pledges we made to the public and we've completed those," he said.
Mr Key did not think the public was blaming the Government for the economic slowdown.
"I don't think the public will punish us for that but they will certainly be looking to us to show leadership and to have a plan, and for that plan to be a good one," he said.
Labour leader Phil Goff said the Government would be judged when it had taken the hard decisions and people could see what its priorities were.
- NZPA
