Thursday, May 12, 2011

Spending like there's no tomorrow

While New Zealand's Prime Minister has been telling us to prepare for an austere Budget 2011, these are the sort of pre-Budget announcements that have been coming out from ministers over the last month:

09 May 2011
Hon Nick Smith
Budget 2011: New fresh water clean-up fund
Environment Minister Nick Smith today announced the establishment of a new contestable fund to help councils and communities clean-up nationally significant water bodies polluted by poor historic management.

09 May 2011
Hon David Carter
Budget 2011: Lifting investment in irrigation
Agriculture Minister David Carter today announced an expanded irrigation fund to support the development of new water harvesting, storage and distribution infrastructure.

05 April 2011
Hon Tony Ryall
Budget 2011: $54.5m extra for mothers, babies
The Government today announced new initiatives for maternity services and to help new mothers and their babies.

04 April 2011
Hon Paula Bennett
Budget 2011: Helping young people into jobs
The Government is investing $55.2 million to get young people into jobs, Social Development and Employment Minister Paula Bennett says.

Have they not got the message? The New Zealand Government is expecting a $16B spending deficit this year - that's $4,000 overspent for every man, woman and child in the country in this year alone - and all they do is announce how they're going to spend more money? What needs to happen before they will get the message that New Zealand cannot afford to keep on spending more from the public purse - national bankruptcy of the type faced by Ireland and Greece?

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