ACT has taken a swipe at its potential coalition partner National, saying if it does not produce alternative policies to Labour, National voters will stay at home this election.
In a speech in Auckland this afternoon, billed as a "state of the nation" address, Mr Prebble criticised both National and Labour for offering nothing new.
"What is depressing about this year's election is the low standard of debate. The two old parties are promoting poll-driven, cargo-cult policies."
He also said Labour was vulnerable to a "sudden dramatic drop in support".
"It would take very little for a massive shift in public opinion. In Australia, it was a shipload of refugees."
With the media predicting Labour would win the election, the party would find it difficult to turn out the voters in safe Labour seats.
"That happened in Britain where Tony Blair, despite his record first-past-the-post win, under MMP would have had to form a minority government," Mr Prebble said.
The British election also contained a warning for National.
"If National does not produce its own alternative policies, National voters, like the Tory voters in Britain, will stay at home," he said in his prepared speech notes.
Mr Prebble spoke on a range of topics including the economy, health, and education.
He said Labour and National would both promise to "throw more money" at health and education.
He said areas ACT would campaign on included:
* truth in sentencing, where prisoners served out all of their jail time. Mr Prebble also said he favoured more home detention
* a referendum on MMP
* the Treaty of Waitangi and closing down the "grievance industry."
- NZPA
Prebble takes swipe at potential coalition partner
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