14 Nov 2011

Goff says Labour's policies are applied Christianity

9:06 pm on 14 November 2011

Labour leader Phil Goff is describing the party's election policies as applied Christianity.

Mr Goff made the statement during a whistlestop campaign visit to Dunedin on Sunday.

At a public meeting in south Dunedin attended by a number of religious leaders, Mr Goff said he is proud Labour is going back to its roots with election policies to raise the minimum wage and reduce tax for struggling families.

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Mr Goff says the party is about creating a community which cares and follows the Bible saying of doing to others what you would have them do to you.

During his visit, Mr Goff also did a mall walkabout and visited a young family to emphasise policies he says will hit back at the National Government's record of increasing living costs.

At the home of Sean and Jasmine Jackson in south Dunedin, Mr Goff emphasised the rising cost of rent, food and petrol to criticise National's tax cuts in 2009. Mr Jackson said his tax cut worked out to be about $10 a week.

Ms Jackson says they are Labour voters, but now that they have a 20-month-old daughter and another child on the way, they are sizing up all the parties in a new way.

"When we didn't have children it wasn't so much about us. But now that we have them, we've got to think about them and their future and who's going to bring in the best policies to help our children out."

During his visit to Dunedin, Mr Goff also emphasised Labour's policy of removing the 15% goods and services tax from fruit and vegetables.

But National Party leader John Key says voters must ask themselves what it would really be like under Labour.

"Three years of a Labour administration would see much higher power prices with their ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme); it would see a much greater costs over time on them because if the minimum wage goes up, then prices will have to rise.

"There would be considerable costs potentially with the capital gains tax and the likes. There would be more costs on businesses with KiwiSaver payments going up."

Mr Key says National's record on keeping the cost of living increases down has been good - given the tough economic times.