ACT Calls for All-Party Talks On Super

The Act party want multi-party talks on super, now the Greens have declared their hand.

Sunday, June 3rd 2001, 9:28PM

ACT has called for urgent all-party talks in a bid to save the New Zealand Superannuation Bill. With the Greens announcing they won't support the Bill, ACT now effectively holds the balance of power.

ACT leader Richard Prebble, in a letter to Finance Minister Michael Cullen today, urged the government to call a temporary halt to the select committee which is examining the Bill.

Setting the Bill down for a vote in the select committee on Wednesday is just confrontational politics. ACT will not attend on Wednesday, Mr Prebble said.

If ACT voted on Wednesday, it would kill the Bill. We're calling for a temporary delay, effectively throwing the government a lifeline so they can more carefully consider prudent ways to improve the Bill.

The government should call all-party talks on superannuation with no pre-conditions. The leaders of all the parties should meet to try to nut out a consensus. On behalf of ACT I undertake to attend such talks in an open way.

ACT is willing to modify its position in order to reach consensus on superannuation because it is vital that the public have certainty, not politics.

Mr Prebble said while the previous superannuation Accord talks had failed, that was under a first-past-the-post system where National and Labour accused each other of breaching the Accord.

There have never been multi-party talks about superannuation under MMP. Neither the Greens or ACT - the two parties that hold the balance of power - have ever been invited to multi-party talks on the superannuation issue, he said.

If ACT, that has the clearest superannuation policy, is willing to compromise to get consensus, I think you may be surprised by the response of other parties to multi-arty talks in an MMP environment.

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