Chlöe Swarbrick: Green Party co-leader on the party's plan to create thousands of 'green jobs'

The Greens are revealing parts of their alternative budget - set to cost about $8 billion over four years.

It's calling for a Ministry of Green Works, a Government agency supporting sustainable infrastructure - including regional forestry.

The party estimates it would create 40,000 jobs.

Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick won't release more details - but says their costed independent budget will be released in about two weeks.

"In about a fortnight's time, we'll be unveiling our Green budget, which will show people how we can have an economy that reduces the cost of living, improves quality of life and also reduces climate-changing emissions."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, the Green Party has unveiled a policy to create jobs.

(00:02):
It wants to set up a Ministry of Green Works
and expand the Jobs for Nature program. It would apparently
create more than forty thousand jobs and it would cost
more than eight billion dollars. Chloe Swarbrick is the Green
Party code leader.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hey Chloe child, how are ye?

Speaker 1 (00:15):
And well thank you? So what are we going to
pay these people to do?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
So we're going to pay these people to rebuild our infrastructure,
to restore biodiversity, to build our homes and ultimately an
economy that we as New Zealanders own and are proud of.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
And where are we going to get the eight billion dollars?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, the really exciting thing is that in about a
fortnight's time we'll be unveiling our Green Budget, which will
show people precisely how we can have an economy that
reduces the cost of living, improves quality of life and
also reduces climate changing emission. So there's more detail to
come in that full budget.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
So will it be I mean, is this something that
you will create? Will there be a new revenue stream
or will you be cutting things out of the existing
budget in order to make up this eight billion dollars.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
I don't want to sound like a your politician to
use you have to wait and see, but I think
people can get a pretty clear indication of where the
Green Party's values lie when it comes to our taxation system.
We had a report from Inland Revenue Department about two
or three years ago now which told us that the
wealthare is three hundred and eleven households in this country
pay in effective tax rate less than half of that
of the average New Zealander. We've always said that we

(01:19):
think that that's fundamentally unfair, and you'll see precisely how
we'll raise that revenue necessary for this spending to create
an economy that works for all of us in about
a fortnight's time.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Right, So more tax okay, So why do we need
to pet paper? Why are we doing these make work schemes?
Why not just rely on private employment?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Well, you can see from the Productivity Commissions reporting a
few years ago now that we have approximately one hundred
billion dollar infrastructure deficit over the last thirty years and
a forecast with one hundred billion dollars for the next
thirty years. It's really clear that the private sector is
not filling that gap, and in fact, when you look
at the research on public private partnerships or even actually
experienced with the likes of Transmission Gully of late, you

(01:58):
can see that that stuff cost New Zealand is more
because we're paying for the profit margin of private companies.
That's precisely why we're saying, let's look at the past
and see where we've done these things well. And that's
why we've taken inspiration from the Ministry of Works, which
once upon a time was charged with building the infrastructure
that all of us rely on, and we've said, let's
learn from that, but do it better confronted with the

(02:20):
challenges of for example, climate change.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
Listen, I want to get your take on something that
I've been watching develop globally, and this is I think
a lot of pressure. So I'm changing the subject here
and I haven't warned you, but I'm getting a lot
of I'm getting the impression that there is a lot
of pressure that's building on net zero by twenty fifty
or even cutting down by twenty thirty. And I'm basing
this on the fact that we've had discussions here in
New Zealand about whether we can meet our obligations you'll

(02:44):
have seen Tony Blase come out against net zero over
in the UK. What do you think is going to happen?
Do you think that this agreement's going to hold well?

Speaker 2 (02:52):
I guess just to take a set back. I can
understand why there is assion or a deprioritization. People are
happy when it comes to climate action because the immediate
pressure is on cost of living. But I think it's
important for us to connect the dots. If we continue
to allow climate change to exacerbate unmitigated, we are going

(03:12):
to end up our higher cost of living people one,
they need to think about.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
All of the things.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
I understand the idea whether.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
I understand, But Chloe, what do you think is going
to happen? Do you think the Paris Agreement is going
to fall apart or do you think it will hold
to twenty fifty?

Speaker 2 (03:27):
What I'm interested in is what we have control over,
in the power to actually do, and that is why
it's think it's really important that New Zealanders here crystal
clear from a party that has its legacy. You don't
sound in the planet that we're committed to this stuff.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
You don't confident.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
I'm confident that we need to act if we are
going to meet the scale of the challenges that are
in front of us. So it's really a matter of
whether we are going when an unsoppable force meets and
a movable object here, what do we do we have
to it's human beings rattle with the reality of the
challenge that is fronting us.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Chloe listen, thank you, I appreciate your time. That's Chloe
Swarbrick the Green Party Cold Listen. I'm fascinated that Chloe
couldn't tell me that she thinks the Paris agreement is
going to hold for more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive
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