Labour plans rapid moves after success at polls

Press, 23 October 1981, Page 4

Labour plans rapid moves after success at polls

PA Wellington The Labour Party will start active government almost immediately after the election, if it is successful at the polls. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Rowling, told journalists yesterday that his government would “deal with urgent questions” before Christmas, seeking full reports on the economy from the Reserve Bank and the Treasury,, swearing in members and select committees, and calling together groups to start putting the Opposition’s employment policy into effect. • “We have every reason to be confident,” said Mr Rowling. “Our organisation is

good, our policies are such that they come to terms with the problems that are worrying New Zealanders in a very practical manner indeed. “We are now giving a certain amount of time not just to the election campaign but to the immediate postelection period when we will be the Government of this country and we will need to come, with some expedition, to grips with the problems that are facing this country. “That is not something that can wait while Parliament takes a Christmas holiday. It is something that has to be dealt with immediately.” . : * Mr Rowling said the size of the budgetary deficit

would not be known clearly until an incoming government got reports from Treasury and the Reserve Bank. “The size of that deficit will clearly govern actions to be taken and will to some extent govern the priorities,” he said. The Opposition was quite clear that areas such as taxation reform employment policy and stabilisation would go ahead “because all of those things interlock with getting the economy on the move again.” Mr Rowling said his party was not just preoccupied with winning an election, although he admitted that that was “critical.”

“We need to know, as we do know, exactly where we go after the election,” he said.

He said he did not think the election would produce a “hung” Parliament, with the Social Credit League holding the balance of power between Labour and National.

“Six years of disaster under National could hardly be compounded by a hung Parliament.”

Asked if he would be prepared to form a Government with Social Credit he replied: “It is a hypothetical question so I will give you a hypothetical yes.” New Zealand would expect any party which could form a government to do so “and see how that works out.”