Below's response is from Act candidate Tom McClelland, who is standing in Whangarei and is number 44 on the Act Party list. You will note that Mr McClelland is quite succint. A full index of candidate responses, including all the previous Act ones, can be found here.
The Questions & Answers
Question 1. What do you believe is currently the single biggest issue facing New Zealand women, and how would you like to address it if you are elected?
i don't see a particular issue.
Question 2. New Zealand women are paid, on average, over $300 a week less than men, and the difference is worse for Maori and Pacific Island women. What do you propose as a first step towards closing the gender pay gap?
Freedom to contract between employer and employee.
Question 3. Do you think NZ's current approach to reproductive rights (abortion, contraception etc) is correct? (Yes or No or No Answer, please)
If not, what changes would you want to make?
Freedom for women to choose.
Question 4. The police and the courts do not work in preventing violence against women. What other government actions would you take to ensure women can live without fear.
We promote a zero tolerance to crime and truth in sentencing.
Question 5. Those who do the caring work in our society, paid and unpaid, are often the least recognized and the lowest paid, and they work the longest hours. What do you see as the priority to address these issues for those caring for our sick, our elderly and our children?
A restructuring in the health system with management returned to health professionals. Greater use of the private sector.
Question 6. The Ministry of Health has recently launched a campaign to encourage breastfeeding and is now recommending that babies be breastfeed to at least one year old. What do you think the government could do to ensure that every woman who wants to breast feed can?
Surely that is up to the person concerned.
Question 7. What single measure do you think our political organizations could take to better encourage young women to be involved and take on leadership positions in our communities?
Surely this is a personal motivational matter.
Question 8. Do you see domestic violence as an issue for women, for men, or for all New Zealanders? (Women, or Men, or all New Zealanders please)
If elected, what strategies would you like to pursue to eliminate domestic violence?
This is an issue for all, we promote a zero tolerance for crime.
Question 9. Successive governments have effectively cut the Domestic Purposes Benefit. Do you believe people raising children alone should have sufficient financial support from the state so that they do not need to go to work until they believe that is the best choice for their family? (Yes or No or No Answer, please)
Yes.
Question 10. Women do the vast majority of cooking and shopping, and increases in food prices are a burden borne disproportionately by women. What do you think our government can or should do to ensure that everyone has access to good food?
Ensure continuance of a free and open market.
Question 11. Do you have any further comments that you wish to make about the role of women in our society? Please feel free to share your thoughts here.
I have always supported freedom of choice in this area.
6 comments:
I find it so disappointing to read some of Act's responses to your survey. I can't understand why so surly and petulant. It's totally putting me off, and I am an indy swinger this election ... I actually thought their 20 point plan was good, but it doesn't seem to be backed up by an engaging, open, communicative attitude by some of their candidates.
Rodney needs to kick his representatives' childish asses.
Total turn off.
Thanks for posting this. I'll admit I'm not surprised, but then I'm far from impartial. It seems that Women = undifferentiate economic units to ACT; their theory permits no disadvantage, historical, cultural or otherwise. Certainly, gender can't be the basis for market intervention... god knows where that would lead?
Regardless of your political persuasions, if you want to be elected then you've got to be prepared to work in coalition, on select committees, etc. Surly isn't good for that.
Hmmm, Julie, you and i both know the quality of the candidates selected at, say, 10 on the Act list. Frankly i am surprised the guy at no. 44 can even (barely) string a sentence together.
yeah, I'd have liked to see something of the reasoning underpinning his views - he seems to want to minimise state involvement in most areas but also supports the DPB, for example. I can hazard a good guess at why, but it would be helpful if candidates gave us a deeper understanding of how they think - or otherwise.
Then again the chances of me voting Act are precisely nil, as I expect is the position of the vast majority of other readers of THM, so I guess people like Tom McClelland are taking this in to account.
I've pondered this, Anna C. On one hand, ACT probably aren't going to win many votes through THM. I think good on them for being surveyed though - democratic participation and all that.
On the other hand, under MMP, these guys need to demonstrate that they can work alongside others - and it's not impossible that a policy put forward by ACT could be taken by a coalition govt. So they should be putting individual policies out there for the punters to debate - it's not impossible that we might support some of these and work with ACT on them, after all.
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