政府花了大钱从澳洲公司买一个众所周知的结论

　　政府打算花100万纽元从某个澳大利亚公司那里买一个早已是众所周知的结论――即我们需要工作、我们要确保国人拥有提升生活水平所需要的技能与健康――这种行事方式使人不得不质问：政府倒底把它的工作重点放在哪里

　　工党社会发展事务发言人杰辛达•阿登是在日前澳大利亚公司Taylor Fry公布了一份报告之后发表了上述评论。这份报告是针对纽西兰未来的社会保障作了“精算估价”。

　　想从预算角度了解本国未来在社会保障上的花费当然可以理解，而且这个工作财政部和社会发展部做得很好。但这样仅仅做些帐面上的工作并不能让人们更容易就业。

　　Taylor Fry是一家为保险、航空、能源领域作估价的澳大利亚专业公司。来自这家公司的报告结论和社会发展部部长宝拉•本内特就在18个月前让她的部门才做的一份报告如出一辙。

　　不出意料，两份报告均发现：失业无论时间长短，都将对未来的社会成本造成巨大影响，而国家要付的最昂贵代价却并不是失业救济金。

　　这个发现可不是什么新消息。人人都知道我们需要工作，人们要有健康的体魄去工作、去抓住训练的机会、去解决阻碍父母们求职的种种障碍。

　　这是一个起作用的社会保障系统应当做到的、也是我们一直在呼吁的目标。可笑的是本内特部长竟然需要去请一家澳大利亚公司来告诉她这些。

　　政府把前期投入的思路形容为“采取一个投资性的战略步骤”――以此避免人们长期依赖政府救助。而我只会称之为常识和该做的事。

　　然而标价是一回事；采取什么实际行动则是另一回事。

　　政府目前对于要在哪些方面大量投入还在挑挑拣拣，一切以政治上最能获益为前提。

　　本内特女士没告诉我们的是纳税人为养老金一年付出的费用将是所有其他福利总和的两倍，而她的政府却顽固拒绝面对未来我国要为此付出的代价。儿童贫困问题也是一样，我们为此付出的代价每年都在60亿至80亿之间。

　　如果政府真想解决那些在未来将令我们付出高昂代价的大问题，就不能继续再挑三拣四。也不能无视造成这些问题的根源，这就不能不提到他们如此明显的糟糕的经济管理。只在帐面上作文章于事无补。（霍建强议员办公室供稿）

　　Jacinda   
　　ARDERN
　　Social Development Spokesperson 
　　12 September 2012                                                   MEDIA STATEMENT
　　Accounting exercise largely tells us what we already know

　　When the Government is prepared to pay an Australian company almost $1 million to tell it what it should already know – that we need jobs and we need to ensure people have the skills and health they need to move into them – you have to question its agenda and its priorities, Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.

　　Her comments follow the release today of a report by Australian company Taylor Fry on the ‘actuarial valuation’ of the future cost of social security in New Zealand.

　　“Of course it makes sense to know what the cost of social security is from a budget perspective, and this is a job Treasury and MSD do well. But this is simply an exercise in accounting that takes us no closer to getting people into work.

　　“Taylor Fry is an Australian company that specialises in valuations for the insurance, aviation and energy sectors. Its report echoes a similar one Paula Bennett tasked her department with just 18 months ago.

　　“Unsurprisingly both reports find being out of work for any length of time hugely influences future costs, and that the biggest costs are not around the unemployment benefit. 

　　“This is not new information. We know that we need jobs, people to be healthy and well enough to take on work, training opportunities, and to address the barriers for parents moving into employment. 

　　“This is what an active social security system should do, and what we have been calling for. It’s a shame the Minister needed an Australian company to tell her this.

　　“The Government describes the idea of investing up front - so we don’t have people staying on Government support long term – as ‘taking an investment approach’. I’d call it common sense and the right thing to do. 

　　“But putting a price on something is one thing; what action we take is another.

　　“The Government is picking and choosing what it wants to quantify the costs of, based on what is the most politically convenient.

　　“What Ms Bennett isn’t telling us is that superannuation is costing taxpayers twice as much a year as all main benefits combined, yet her Government steadfastly refuses to tackle the future costs of it. The same goes for child poverty which is costing us between $6 billion and $8 billion a year.

　　“If the government wants to tackle the big future costs, it can’t continue to pick and choose. It also can’t ignore root causes, and on that count its poor economic management is right up there. Exercises in accounting won’t change that,” said Jacinda Ardern