1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Acts today is going to deliver its own State of 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: the Nation's speech while other political parties gather forward Artana 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: celebrations at Arthon and Parkes understood, one of the key 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: themes will be around the idea of privatization. For example, 5 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: around six thousand dollars has been spent on health care 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: per citizen each year in this country. Could there be 7 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: an option? David Seamore will ask to put that money 8 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: directly into kiwi's pockets to free up space and the 9 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: public system. It's an interesting question, David Seamoa is ZACH 10 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: party leader, David, how are you great? 11 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 2: Thanks? David. 12 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: Let's art with privatization because that's one of the big 13 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: themes of your speech. 14 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 2: What do you want to sell? 15 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 3: I don't think it's a big theme of my speech. 16 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 3: I see as soon as you mentioned the P word 17 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 3: people get completely hooked on it. I just make the 18 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 3: point in my speech that New Zealand's ad a tipping 19 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 3: point one hundred and sixteen thousand people leaving. 20 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 2: That's two percent of the population. 21 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 3: That's early nineteen eighty kind of numbers, highest numbers on 22 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 3: record according to statsien Z. We need to start asking 23 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 3: bigger questions like the government owns five hundred and seventy 24 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 3: billion dollars worth of assets, and yet we can't afford 25 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 3: the core infrastructure and cities to build more homes for 26 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 3: the next generation. Now do we need to ask ourselves 27 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 3: do we own the right stuff? So I'm not there 28 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 3: to tell you exactly what to sell. I'm just there 29 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 3: to say over the next year or two, we're going 30 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 3: to have to start asking some bigger questions. Otherwise people 31 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 3: are going to keep leaving and the net result of 32 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 3: that politically, as we end up with a majority for mediocrity. 33 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 1: I think that you know, cases like Landcorp and TV 34 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: and Z. I mean, there are clear cases to be 35 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: made for the starte of some assets. Isn't your problem 36 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 1: going to be if you have to get back in 37 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: bed with Winston he doesn't want any of this to happen. 38 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 3: Well, ultimately it won't be about any politician. It will 39 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,279 Speaker 3: be about do we want to remain a first world 40 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 3: country that attracts and retains the people that grow up 41 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 3: here with first world expectations. 42 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 2: Because we're at a tipping point. 43 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 3: You know, things are going to get better this year 44 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 3: thanks to lower interest rates, and that's welcome and The 45 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 3: govern'sing a lot of hard work on that, but cast 46 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 3: your mind out a few years. We're at a point 47 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 3: where if we don't make this place more attractive to stay, 48 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 3: then the people who are motivated leave. And that's where 49 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 3: I talk about that majority for mediocrity. It's not far off. 50 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 3: I'll be voting for Chloe Swarbrook, who says your problems 51 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 3: are caused by someone else, and if you vote for me, 52 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 3: I'll text their house to solve your problems. 53 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 2: It won't work, but it sounds good. 54 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: You talk about the public service, and you in the 55 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 1: election promise to cut fourteen thousand public sector jobs. We 56 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: know we're near that number, and we've still got the 57 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: likes of the Ministry for Women, around which you promise 58 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: to get rid of. How are you going to convince 59 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: national to go further with that if you haven't already. 60 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,239 Speaker 3: I think it's ultimately the circumstances that persuade people. 61 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 2: The ACT Party is pretty clear on where it stands. 62 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 3: We published a fully costed alternative budget every year in opposition, 63 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 3: we said there's no point in these ministries, there's no 64 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 3: point in there's extra sixteen thousand people. You can probably 65 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 3: guess we make those argument it's within government, and I'd 66 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 3: say the government hasn't gone as far as we'd goes, 67 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,519 Speaker 3: but it has gone further than it would go without us. 68 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 3: The next thing that changes as people recognize we've got 69 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:12,519 Speaker 3: to fish or cut bait. 70 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 2: In this country. It's not good enough just to say 71 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 2: that everything's fixed. It's not. We've got a huge amount 72 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 2: of work to do. 73 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:20,959 Speaker 1: Have we caught you on a run, David? 74 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 2: Sounds like your little brain. No, I'm just I'm walking. 75 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 3: If it sounds like I'm running, I must be even 76 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 3: less fit than I realized. 77 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: Hey, we're all allowed a little leeway in the new year. 78 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: Health and education. You talk about those we spend a 79 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: lot on individuals. You've broken the cost down per person, 80 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: and you're saying, well, maybe we should just give you 81 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: the cash. 82 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. 83 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 3: I think again, it's an example of a kind of 84 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 3: bigger thinking that we need if we want to make 85 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 3: this whole dream of first world country island paradise kind 86 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 3: of thing work out. I just make the observation. You know, 87 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 3: thirty billion dollars on health five years ago it was 88 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 3: twenty billion dollars, So you know we've gone up ten 89 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 3: billion in the last five years and yet health has 90 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 3: one of, if not the biggest political issues these days. 91 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 3: Clearly what we're doing is not working. I mean, I 92 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 3: see Shane Ready move on on papers. Probably the best 93 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 3: health minister we've ever had, and he couldn't make it work. 94 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,239 Speaker 3: So I just say to people, look, thirty billion bucks, 95 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 3: five million people. 96 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 2: Do the maths. 97 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 3: That's six thousand dollars each. How many people if I 98 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 3: said you have the option of saying no more entitlement 99 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 3: to publicly funded healthcare, but here's six thousand dollars that 100 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 3: you can take to a private insurance company, I think 101 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 3: a lot of people might say, well, we need to 102 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 3: explore that option. What would the rules be around it? 103 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 3: You know, obviously the healthcare companies would have to take 104 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 3: any patient that applied. 105 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 2: They couldn't reject anyone. 106 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 3: And I know that we'll be saying this guy's nuts, 107 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,280 Speaker 3: it's privatization, it's a secret conspiracy out of Washington. 108 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 2: D C. 109 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 3: Well, actually what I'm describing is not too far off 110 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 3: the way they do healthcare in France. 111 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: David Seymour, thank you very much to your time this morning. 112 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: Please go and have a sit down and arrest after that. 113 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: David Seymour, the Act Party leader who was on a walk. 114 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: For those who've been texting and saying, why is he panting? 115 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 2: Why is he breathless? 116 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:12,479 Speaker 1: He's out on a walk this morning, getting in some 117 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 1: steps in, some kick kazin before he gets into his 118 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: state of his alternative State of the Nation address which 119 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: he is delivering today, some quite interesting suggestions there. We 120 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: do own as a country half a trillion dollars in 121 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: public assets. That includes things like land Corp. Land Corp 122 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: worth two billion dollars to us if we flicked it 123 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: off last year made a loss of twenty six million. 124 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: A report from a couple of years ago showed that 125 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: outfit is performing way under what it could if it 126 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: was if it was potentially privatized. I mean, why not 127 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: If we've got farmers who do a good job of 128 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,480 Speaker 1: their business, why wouldn't they do a good job with 129 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: that one? Why do we own a farm? For more 130 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks 131 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,719 Speaker 1: the'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 132 00:05:58,760 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.