Opening bids for your vote

Voters have some big choices to make in next month's general election. In part one of a two-part series, political reporter ANDREW LAXON examines key policies of the main parties.

Six weeks out from election day, political parties are starting to tell voters what they stand for.

As the trickle of policy announcements builds to a flood, this is how the five biggest parties - National, Labour, New Zealand First, the Alliance and Act - compare so far on key issues.

Tax: National promises small tax cuts of no more than $10.50 a week and as little as $2 for low-income earners on $20,000 a year. But the offer contrasts with Labour and the Alliance, which would increase taxes for those earning $60,000 or more. Both parties claim they have avoided turning off voters by not raising taxes for anyone earning under $60,000.

Economy: Will the new Government continue to focus on keeping inflation down? National and Act say yes, through the Reserve Bank Act. Labour generally agrees but wants to avoid a high New Zealand dollar, while NZ First and the Alliance would add extra economic goals. The Alliance wants more tariffs but could be thwarted by Labour. National is likely to sell TVNZ, the former ECNZ generating companies and NZ Post, if it can get enough political support.

Law and order: Act promises to make prisoners serve at least 80 per cent of their sentences. National, which this year has introduced home-invasion laws, extra police and monitoring prisoners' phone calls, has now matched several Labour promises, including tougher bail laws and "zero tolerance" policing. The Alliance has the liberal corner to itself.

Health: The Alliance promises free health care for everyone but Labour would spend little extra money, except on key areas such as elective surgery. Both Labour and the Alliance would go back to elected health boards. National, ironically, claims the country is fed up with health restructuring. It promises no more unpleasant changes.

Education: A battle on two fronts over how schools should be run and how children should be taught. National wants to give schools more independence and to start national tests to lift learning standards. Labour and the Alliance, who say schools are being set up for privatisation, would end bulk funding. Labour says nation-wide tests would not sshow what children are learning.

Tertiary education: Dominated by the student loans issue. Labour is well out in front here with its promise to reduce the interest burden, although many students prefer the Alliance's more generous offer. National has made last-minute promises to change the loans scheme.

Welfare-employment: National has belatedly embraced compulsory work-for-the-dole and Act wants to expand it. Labour would scrap the scheme but may introduce something less coercive. Act is expected to crack down on benefit abuse.

ACC: Labour and the Alliance have warned they will rip up contracts with private insurers and go back to ACC. But National looks sympathetic to Act's aim of getting the state completely out of accident insurance. Road accident and sports injuries could be the first to go private.

Industrial relations: Labour and the Alliance would scrap the Employment Contracts Act. But Labour agreed with National last week that the Alliance's policy amounted to back-door compulsory unionism. The National-Act agenda will probably include allowing workers to sell their holidays and scrapping the Employment Court.

Housing: Labour and the Alliance would scrap market rents for state house tenants but Labour would keep National's accommodation supplement. National says this would discriminate against private tenants. Treaty claims: Act's biggest platform. It promises to end all treaty claims by 2010. All other major parties shy away from this.

Super: Political consensus has collapsed. NZ First still wants compulsory savings, Labour plans its own super fund, Act wants state-funded pensions phased out for most elderly. National's unpopular decision to stop wage-indexing pensions would be reversed in various ways by NZ First, Labour and the Alliance.

Roading: National is still stalling on its controversial road reforms. Labour has surprisingly signed up for road tolls, against the Alliance's wishes.