1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: On the Dunedan hospital scaleback. The government is in trouble 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: on this right. That protest over the weekend was big. 3 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Thirty five thousand people are turning up to protest. What's 4 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: going on is more than a quarter of Dunedin's population. 5 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,239 Speaker 1: Now to be fair, right, you've got to assume that 6 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: they didn't just come from Dunedan. They came from all 7 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: over the Otago region. And that will probably be true 8 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: because the hospital would service the whole regions. The whole 9 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 1: region cares even if you encounter include the population of 10 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: the region. That's fourteen percent of the population that turned 11 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: up on Saturday. That's still massive. Now, there are very 12 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: few issues that would drive that kind of frustration get 13 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: that many people out, but health is absolutely one of them, 14 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: right because we want to know that the medical facilities 15 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: in our area can save our kids' lives, or save 16 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: our kids, our parents' lives, or even you know, save 17 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: our own lives. But this is reality. Unfortunately, this is 18 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: and I think that this is something we're going to 19 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: have to come to terms with. We are broke. New 20 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: Zealand cannot afford a three billion dollar hospital, and we 21 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: can't afford three billion dollar fairies, and we can't afford 22 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: to pay the wages of sixty four thousand public servants 23 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: or any number of other things than we think that 24 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: we should have. We just can't have anymore. We are 25 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: running and operating deficit in this country every single year. 26 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: What that basically means if you were to compare that 27 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: to your household, that's basically the equivalent of spending more 28 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: every single year in outgoings on your groceries and your 29 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: rent and your power bills whatever. Then you're actually bringing in, Well, 30 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: how do you make up that shortfall? You chuck it 31 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: on the credit card. Now, that may be sustainable for 32 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,559 Speaker 1: a year or two, but it is not sustainable year 33 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: after year after year after year, which is what we're 34 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:32,479 Speaker 1: doing it you're doing at the moment. If you want 35 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: to know how broke we are, you just need to 36 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: listen to the Treasury warning that came through last week. 37 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: Dominic Stevens, the chief economist at Treasury, warned at that 38 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 1: for us to get back to surplus in this country, 39 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: the government will have to cut so much spending so 40 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: fast it would be unprecedented in recent history in New Zealand. 41 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: Our debt is out of control. Largely, and let's be 42 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: honest about it, largely thanks to what Grant and just 43 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: ended it during Covida has been warning about our debt 44 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: levels they reckon for about the last twenty years, since 45 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: about two thousand and six. Back in two thousand and six, 46 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: they were worried because they thought that we were heading 47 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: for a net crown debt situation of around thirteen percent 48 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: of GDP. We are three times that now. That is 49 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: how much trouble we're in. So we are broke now. 50 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: I don't want to see projects like a hospital, especially 51 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: scaled back, and I don't want to be sailing on 52 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 1: tin pop fairies that I'm not sure are going to 53 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: make it to the other side. But you need money 54 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 1: to buy and build things, and we don't have any money. 55 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: And judging by the size of that protest on Saturday 56 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: and the anger that's being directed at the government at 57 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: the moment, we clearly don't realize that yet. For more 58 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,959 Speaker 1: from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks 59 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 60 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.