Act spreads policy through 'e-politics'

By VERNON SMALL

Act has unveiled a 57-page manifesto of policies based on the party's guiding principles of freedom and holding people responsible for their actions.

"The parties of the left are advocating higher taxes, more regulations, innovation by committee, and the pet project of all social engineers - redistribution of income," said party leader Richard Prebble.

Act's vision was in the opposite direction.

The document is available only on the internet.

Mr Prebble said the web-based approach was part of an "e-politics" campaign targeting the 170,000 New Zealanders who had left the country in the past two years.

As part of its health policy, Act would ensure that patients did not wait longer than the recommended time for safe treatment. If necessary, patients would be referred for private treatment at taxpayers' expense.

Mr Prebble said the recommended maximum waiting time for radiotherapy after breast cancer was four weeks, but women were waiting up to 15 weeks.

In education, Act would re-introduce national examinations with marks to ensure standards were maintained. It would give students who wanted to go to a private school a grant of about $5500 - the equivalent of the cost of their public education.

It would also implement the Norm Withers referendum on violent crime, and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to policing.

Personal tax would be cut to two rates - 28 and 18 per cent - and a flat rate of 18 per cent within five years. Company tax would drop from 33 to 28 per cent immediately.

Act would impose a five-year maximum limit on unemployment and domestic purposes benefits for the able-bodied, with a shorter limit on any continuous spell, "coupled with intensive case management and last-resort job placement".

Welfare beneficiaries would be required to work full-time or take part in full-time "work activity".

They would get help with childcare and transport.

Act would rebuild the Air Force's strike capability, abolish "racial quotas" at tertiary institutions, abolish specialist employment authorities, make polluters pay for environmental damage, review the Resource Management Act, allow private and public toll roads and settle all Treaty of Waitangi claims by 2008.

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