No place to go for National
The offer by National Party leader Jenny Shipley to recant the party's past superannuation moves, including cutting the level of the state pension in 1998, are unlikely to cut any ice.
Tuesday, August 22nd 2000, 12:00AM
The offer by National Party leader Jenny Shipley to recant the party's past superannuation moves, including cutting the level of the state pension in 1998, are unlikely to cut any ice.
On Saturday Shipley reiterated an earlier message that the National Party was prepared to enter into multiparty talks with no preconceived ideas. Her only stipulation being that the present entitlement for those already retired would remain unchanged.
While National's offer is positive for pensioners and those approaching retirement, the fact is the party had no choice.
With Labour and the Alliance promising to keep the pension as a universal entitlement, set at around 65% of the average weekly wage, National had no place to go.
As Shipley pointed out, one of the reasons National was defeated at the last election was due to the way it handled the superannuation issue.
If it went into the next election promising to cut the pension it would undoubtedly remain in opposition.
Prime Minister Helen Clark has rebuffed Shipley's offer: "I've heard nothing from Mrs Shipley which would convince me that there has been any genuine change of heart in the National Party," she told a post-cabinet press conference on Monday.
Clark believes National would want to erode the pension over time through means-testing, raising the qualification age and lowering the payment level.
"That is not a good basis for talking to us when we are endeavouring to lock in the present level of payment for generations to come," she says.
While there are calls from National, Act, United and NZ First for multi-party accord superannuation talks again, the prospects of a return to the Accord appears unlikely.
Retirement Commissioner Colin Blair says it is unlikely that an Accord, like the one which came out of the Todd Task force report, in 1993 could be instituted again.
His view is that any Accord would have to be much looser than before.
See what others say about the latest developments
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GREY POWER - Grey Power on National Mistakes
Wellington Chamber of Commerce - About time superannuation football was retired
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