John MacDonald: Election bribe disguised as a rescue package

If you have teenage children, or if you don’t have kids, or if you’re on a pension - chances are you’ll be feeling a bit left out of the Government’s cost-of-living rescue package.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said childcare is one of the most significant costs facing families and said the Government is here to help, and is going to spend an extra $189 million on childcare subsidies.

It won’t happen overnight - it’ll be spread over four years. Which means, of course, that if you want it - you need to vote for Labour at next year’s election.

So ‘we’re coming to your rescue, but only if you vote for us’. Which doesn’t sound like a genuine response to the current crisis does it? Especially when the crisis isn’t something out there on the horizon, it’s happening right now and it’s real for pretty much everyone.

Which is why I’m saying that if you have teenage children, or if you don’t have kids, or if you’re on a pension - you won’t be feeling much love from the Government right now.

But if even you are someone who stands to benefit from this new spending - if you’re one of the people the Prime Minister talked about yesterday and you can’t work simply because childcare is so expensive, well don’t expect things to change too quickly.

And, for me, it’s the drawn-out nature of the spending announced yesterday that makes it look like anything but something designed to help with immediate challenges - not to mention the fact that it leaves a whole lot of people no better off.

Prior to yesterday’s announcement, Jacinda Ardern said the cost-of-living was (quote) “top of our agenda”, which had commentators speculating that another cost-of-living payment might be on the cards.

You know, the cost-of-living payments - which went to people living overseas and people no longer with us.

So Jacinda Ardern said: "I anticipate that the cost of living and the economy will likely be on everyone's agenda for the next 12 months." And she said it would be at the top of the Government’s agenda.

That was the talk before yesterday’s announcement and so, when I compare the talk to what was actually announced, I’ve got to say that I’m not impressed. For several reasons.

First up - as a parent with three kids, two of whom are still teenagers - there’s nothing in this announcement for people at my stage in life.

I know childcare is expensive but life is really expensive for families with teenagers. The food bills are huge. The sporting and cultural activities are that much bigger and that much more expensive.

And then what about the people who don’t have kids at all? Especially those who are single - life’s pretty expensive for them too. Nothing in this announcement for them.

And then there are our older people. Those on pensions and really struggling to make ends meet, but also the older people who might still be working and still having to support their families - financially or otherwise.

Nothing in this announcement for these people either.

Which is why I think that what the Government announced yesterday is anything but a rescue package to address the current cost-of-living crisis.

Because it’ll be dragged out over three years. It will be dependent on Labour winning next year’s election. And because so many people are left out and don’t stand to benefit in any way.

If this is the Government doing what the Prime Minister said it was going to do and put the cost-of-living at the top of its agenda, then I’d hate to be at the bottom of the agenda if it thinks this is what’s needed most.

It’s fine for an election policy. But it fails miserably as a boost for all of the New Zealanders struggling right now to deal with the cost of living.

And I actually think the Government today will be regretting not coming out with something bigger and better, considering that disastrous poll result which came after yester