Dunne no coalition headache for PM

8.45pm

United Future leader Peter Dunne put up his hand as a headache-free potential coalition partner for Labour in the televised Holmes minor party debate tonight.

With polls showing Labour and the Progressive Coalition just short of a majority in the 120-member Parliament, they could have to look elsewhere for support.

With the Greens and New Zealand First pushing policies Labour would have trouble adapting in a coalition, United Future has emerged as a possible partner.

Mr Dunne tonight proved himself a very undemanding prospect, when asked what he would seek in any post-election coalition talks.

He said people had had a "gutsful" of a political shambles, and wanted to see constructive Government.

"The Government that we would be expected to support, we would want it to pay attention to the policies we are promoting in terms of families," he said.

"We want to see a commission for the family established, we want to see work done on income splitting for parents in terms of their incomes for tax purposes."

He also wanted more support for early childhood education, more support for agencies such as Plunket.

United Future also favoured lowering taxes gradually -- as economic conditions allowed.

Labour would find it easy to "pay attention" to all of those things.

Miss Clark has said the Greens have ruled themselves out of coalition because of their hardline stance on genetic engineering.

Today she ruled out NZ First, which has policies on crime, the Treaty of Waitangi, and immigration that Labour finds detestable.

Mr Peters was again in good form before the cameras, raising widespread laughs when he asked why the National Party was not at the debate -- for minor parties.

National has plunged below 25 per cent in the polls.

Alliance leader Laila Harre, the least likely of the six leaders on display, gave her most assured television display of the campaign.

- NZPA

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