Lee's $2-an-hour joke turns sour

Melissa Lee. Photo / Paul Estcourt

In a campaign full of gaffes and blunders, National candidate Melissa Lee infuriated a low-income audience by saying she was paid only $2 an hour.

The main candidates for Mt Albert squared off in their final public forum ahead of the byelection in front of Unite union members yesterday.

Ms Lee appeared in the debate, which was also attended by Labour's David Shearer, Act's John Boscawen and the Greens' Russel Norman.

She replied to a question about how she would survive on the minimum wage of $12.50 an hour saying: "I think I am currently on $2 an hour."

She appeared to be joking about the long hours MPs had to put in, but the audience was not amused.

Ms Lee recovered slightly by outlining National's policy on trying to raise all wage levels, but failed to get much sympathy when explaining she had also once struggled as a solo mother with little money and a mother to support.

Polling for Mt Albert has Mr Shearer so far ahead of the others that the real fight is likely to be over who comes second when locals cast their votes tomorrow.

A TV3 poll put Mr Shearer on 61.7 per cent support, Ms Lee on 20.6, Dr Norman on 13 and Mr Boscawen on 3.6. Tomorrow, the Electoral Act prohibits campaigning of any kind. Here is some of what the candidates had to say in their final public pitch for votes:

RUSSEL NORMAN

On poverty: "The Green Party is outraged that there are 450,000 workers in our country who are earning less than $15 an hour. We think it is outrageous that there are 200,000 children living in poverty and hardship. That's wrong. In our country, there is tremendous wealth, and tremendous opportunities for everyone - but it is not being shared around."

On Working for Families: "If you lose your job, you lose your payment, you get doubly punished. We think that's wrong."

On the byelection: "You have only two choices. You either vote Labour, or you vote Green. But if you really want to stand up for your rights, then vote for the Greens."

JOHN BOSCAWEN

On union voters: "From the reaction I got this afternoon, I suspect not many people in this room are intending to vote for me."

On low wages: "My father had a stroke in 2001 ... and the people who looked after basically his every bodily function were paid about $9.50 an hour. I asked myself how do these people raise their families on this income?

"I joined Act in 1995 because I believed the policies of the Act Party would do more for low-income people than the policies of any other political parties represented here today."

On superannuation: "I believe the best way for you people to have independence, and security at the age of 65, is to have a compulsory superannuation system that you pay into for 40 years - so you're not dependent on the Government - and in that regard, I probably stand apart from most people in the Act Party."

MELISSA LEE

On the campaign: "This campaign has been an amazing experience. In the background, away from the media, we have a fair respect for each other that we almost become friends."

On low wages: "Why do we limit it to $15? Wouldn't it be fantastic if we went higher and further than that? However, this is the biggest recession since the World War II and we need to build our economy. We need to make sure people have jobs."

On 90-day job trial: "It is a great opportunity for somebody fresh out of school, somebody who's a migrant, somebody who's made a mistake in the past and trying to get a new job."

On the byelection: "I'm wanting to become your local MP to take your issues to government - the only MP who can do that not in Opposition, but in John Key's Government."

DAVID SHEARER

On the 90-day job trial: "I disagree with the 90-day stand-down period. It's the beginning of the thin edge of the wedge of what's coming down the track."

On the issues: "The real issue about this election is that these communities are just holding on as things get done to them, like a motorway gets pushed right through a community and splits a community in two. Or like a Super City that's going to be piled on top of us without any consultation, without us even getting a real say."

On societies: "The countries that are the worst are the countries where there's the greatest degree of difference between the rich and the poor ... That's how you measure the health of a society. The only way a community is going to be strong is when you've got fully employed, well-paid people."

On the byelection: "This is an election about turning the corner and getting ahead. We lost the election last year. This is about the buildup to 2011 and getting back where Labour was before."