Small party leaders go head-to-head in televised debate

Leaders of small political parties will today go head to head in the first televised leaders' debate of the election campaign.

Televised debates often provide political leaders with an opportunity to change the public's perception of them, particularly if their party is flagging in the polls.

National leader Bill English is understood to be looking forward to going against Prime Minister Helen Clark as he believes he can score points off her in this forum.

However, tonight's debate on Sky News is an opportunity for the likes of Progressive Coalition leader Jim Anderton, Green Party co-leader Rod Donald and other small party leaders to have a say.

Miss Clark is today campaigning in Blenheim while Mr English is in the Coromandel, where a recent poll has put National candidate Sandra Goudie ahead of incumbent and Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons.

The Green Party will today be launching its safe food policy while ACT is releasing a credit card of its own. Labour released its credit card of pledges at its weekend campaign launch. That prompted New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to yesterday release "Labour's debit card" of promises Labour was not telling voters about -- including legalising prostitution as well as gay marriages and adoptions.

Today is the final day for candidates to put their names forward for selection although most political parties have already released their party lists.

The election bugbear of health yesterday put National Party leader Bill English in Labour's sights after he released his party's health policy.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen accused Mr English of telling "porkies" while Health Minister Annette King said National's health policy barely registered a pulse.

Mr English promised National would provide a financial "rescue package" for cash-strapped district health boards.

He said the country's 21 district health boards had been operating deficits of more than $300 million for 2001 and 2002, rising to $500 million by the end of 2003.

The former health minister said those numbers meant there would be cuts in services.

While delivering his health message that also targeted the promotion of exercise and a healthy diet, Mr English was grilled by reporters about his decision to have chips for lunch.

He accused the Government of keeping secret the state of district health board finances but Ms King said the figures were available and the total deficit would be around $170m. She said $120m had this financial year been allocated to covering deficits "and the rest of the money is provided in deficit support".

So, all district health boards would be funded for their deficits, she said.

Dr Cullen said Mr English had a duty to be true to the facts and this applied to National's claims the Greens' position on GE was irrelevant to the stability of the Government.

At the weekend, Mr English said his party "would vote with Labour to defeat the Greens on GE".

The Greens have vowed not to go into coalition or support any government that lifts the moratorium on the commercial release of GE organisms that expires next October.

Mr English said National and Labour agreed on lifting the GE moratorium and that made the Greens "irrelevant".

This prompted a challenge from Dr Cullen for National to back Labour on money supply if the Greens tried to bring down the government over genetic engineering.

As Dr Cullen pointed out, the moratorium is to lift automatically in October and will not require a vote in Parliament.

- NZPA

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