KEY POINTS:
National yesterday pointed the finger at a planned advertising campaign on cheaper doctors' visits and cheaper medicines as an example of the sort of Government-sponsored campaign that contrasts with the curbing of private campaigns under legislation before Parliament.
The Election Finance Bill imposes restrictions on political advertising by parties or lobby groups from January 1 of an election year and establishes new spending limits for third parties.
National claims that opens the way for advertising by Government departments to fill the vacuum that the new limits could produce.
National leader John Key pointed to some of the material prepared for call-centre operators in an interim information campaign, "Public health organisations and cheaper doctors visits and medicines".
A more substantial campaign will begin next April and will run for up to three years.
Key themes of television ads will be that it is cheaper to see the doctor; cardiovascular checks earlier can reduce damage later; and the Care Plus initiative for people with chronic health needs.
Among the possible questions provided to the operators is: "How much has this cost?"
The suggested answer: "The Labour-led Government has invested $2.2 billion over the past six years to help make primary care more affordable for everyone."
Mr Key waved the documents around in Parliament and said the purpose of the Electoral Finance Bill was to limit the amount of money opponents could spend in election year "while at the same time the Government spends as much taxpayers' dollars as it can seeking re-election".
Prime Minister Helen Clark said the bill was to "stop people like John Key working with people like the Exclusive Brethren to rort election spending law".
