Favourable reaction to plan for super.

Press, 2 June 1984, Page 12

Favourable reaction to plan for super.

PAAshburton A Social Credit proposal to drop the qualifying age for National Superannuation from 60 to 55 had drawn a favourable reaction from the public, the party leader, Mr Beetham, has said. Mr Beetham said in an interview from Wellington that there had been a lot of feedback and his office had been inundated with messages of support, many from non-party members. The party's superannuation policy offers two choices, either to retire from full-time work at 55 and receive superannuation

or to continue to work and receive it only on retirement. The benefit would be kept at its present level — 80 per cent of the net average wage — and could be supplemented by working up to 15 hours a week. Mr Beetham said that he expected his nuclear bill, at present with the disarmament committee, would come back before Parliament during this session. The bill seeks to ban the presence of nuclearpowered or armed vessels from New Zealand’s territorial waters. Initially the bill was introduced to coincide with anti-nuclear views expressed at National Party divisional meetings, Mr Beetham said. Although amendments might have to be accepted, Mr Beetham said, he believed the Government would not reject it altogether. “It is a very sensitive issue, because there has been a tremendous change in stance by the public at large in the last 12 months. “The Government knows that there is a lot of antinuclear feeling within its own ranks,” Mr Beetham said.

He was confident that Social Credit would retain its third-party ranking in the next few weeks, replacing the New Zealand Party in the public opinion polls. “The Jones party is in disarray; this will be reflected in the next two polls,” he said. Mr Beetham said Social Credit support would be back to 13 per cent, and still rising, by the party’s annual conference in August. “From there I am confident we can get back to 18 per cent by the election. Because of the emphasis we will put in electorates where we trail by only a few hundred votes, that level of support will give us more than two seats in Parliament,” Mr Beetham said.