Labour has differentiated themselves from National with the the family package policy they announced today, which targets families with children but they would scrap National’s tax cuts so people without children will miss out unless they are a beneficiary or superannuant who will get a winter handout.

Labour will:

• Boost Working for Families to all those who currently receive it and extend it to 30,000 more families, in addition to the Working for Families changes announced in Budget 2017.
• Introduce a Best Start payment to help families with costs in a child’s early years.
• Introduce a Winter Energy Payment for people receiving superannuation or a main benefit. 
• Reinstate the Independent Earners’ Tax Credit.
• Implement the Accommodation Supplement increases announced in Budget 2017.

Delivering for families

For all of our history, families have been at the heart of every decision Labour has made.

We introduced the welfare state and public health system in the late 1930s, because we know how important it is that families can get the care that they need.

We introduced the minimum wage and four weeks’ holiday pay, because we know how important it is that families have quality time together.

We introduced paid parental leave, because we know how important it is that parents have time to bond with their baby in those early months.

And today’s Labour Party is no different. We believe in families, and today we’ve announced a package that will deliver for them.

Our families package will leave 70% of New Zealand families better off than they would be under National’s package. Families on middle incomes will receive up to $48 a week more in Working For Families with Labour’s package than under National.

At the same time, our package will save more than $2 billion over four years, so we’ll be able to invest in houses, hospitals, schools and infrastructure – all the big issues that National has failed to tackle during their nine years in power.

We can do this because our package is targeted at families on low and middle incomes, and we’re not spending $400 million on an unaffordable tax cut for the top 10% of income earners, like National wants to, while public services face cuts and our people face a housing crisis.

This election comes down to choices, to what we think is a priority. Our package shows that Labour’s priority is, as it always has been, New Zealanders. We’ll give everyone a fair shot and the support they need to lead a happy, healthy life.

Labour knows healthy families mean a healthier society, and that’s in the interest of every New Zealander.