If this was my Budget: Grant Robertson

Labour finance spokesman Grant Robertson says if it was his Budget it would start with getting the basics right. Photo / Claire Trevett

Opinion

My Budget would be a plan to give every New Zealander a fair share in prosperity because right now, although the high-level indicators in the economy look good and some people are doing very well, after nine years of a National Government too many people are missing out.

It would start with getting the basics right: Housing, health and education - the building blocks of security and opportunity.

Labour's plan for housing is that a secure, warm, dry place to live is the heart of strong communities and neighbourhoods.

Our Budget would launch KiwiBuild. This would build homes for first-home buyers to be sold at cost, and that money would then be reinvested to build the thousands more homes we need.

And the Budget would put the money in to make sure we start to end homelessness. You cannot raise a family in a car. Labour would not stand by and say that was okay.

Labour's Budget would also address the tax loopholes that make housing a playground for speculators - no more using losses on your property portfolio to mean you don't pay your fair share of income tax; no more overseas buyers making a quick buck on our housing.

And if you flipped your investment property inside five years - you would pay tax on that.

In health the Budget would start to restore the money that we need to keep up with our growing and ageing population.

And we have a real focus on mental health - getting support in the community and our schools to people before their problems overwhelm them.

In education we would be investing to make sure our system was preparing people for a rapidly changing world.

Green Party co-leader and finance spokesperson James Shaw, left. Photo / Jason Oxenham

This would mean making a start on our three years free post-school training and education, more resources for apprenticeships and support for professional career guidance in all our schools.

It would be a Budget for sustainable economic growth, supporting cities and regions to grow decent work with higher wages. This would mean backing our businesses, improving the skills of our workers and backing research and innovation.

Our Budget would also be the first where a Government was held accountable by an independent body to a set of Budget Responsibility Rules.

The public needs to know that we would be responsible, with our spending phased and focused to achieve results.

In a Labour Budget, wherever you lived in New Zealand, you would be our top priority, not speculators or multinational tax avoiders or the lucky few.

It would be a Budget for all New Zealanders to get a fair go and a fair share.