GUEST BLOG: Bryan Bruce – Annie Newman on the ‘wellbeing budget’
“You can’t have a ‘wellbeing’ budget if your low paid workers are not having better lives as a result of it”
Powerful words from Annie Newman of E tū Union’s Living Wage movement .
If you would like to listen to NZPTV’s Wellbeing Budget event and hear the opinions of people you won’t hear from any party in parliament you can find it here.
Bryan Bruce is one of NZs most respected documentary makers and public intellectuals who has tirelessly exposed NZs neoliberal economic settings as the main cause for social issues.
Newman makes a good point in regards to Government spending and how it should be better utilised to help facilitate a living wage.
For example, the jobs being created via the Regional Development Fund. Initially, Jones wanted it to be work for the dole, basically providing Government funding and cheap labour to the private sector. Whereas, decent jobs paying decent wages (as Newman rightly highlights) should be conditional with any Government provided funding.