Grant Robertson says if Labour and the Greens end up in coalition after the election, people can expect a similar working relationship between them as they had in this term of Government.
Speaking on TVNZ1’s Breakfast this morning Robertson - Labour's finance spokesperson - said he has seen Green ministers and MPs “work really well” in the current government.
“James Shaw has been a really effective Minister for Climate Change. He got the Zero Carbon Act through. So, clearly we would work with the Greens around issues like that,” he said.
“Jan Logie’s done great work around the elimination of domestic and sexual violence.”
But, he said it was up to voters whether a Labour-Greens coalition would happen.
“If that’s how the voters cast their votes, I’m sure we can do it again.”
The National Party has been critical of a potential coalition between the Labour and the Greens, with their leader Judith Collins saying Jacinda Ardern would bow down to the Greens’ demands for a wealth tax .
National leader Judith Collins today claimed Labour will bow to the demands of the Green Party by introducing one.
But, Robertson dismissed the idea this morning on Breakfast.
“Misinformation and lies about the wealth tax is a pretty desperate thing,” he said of National’s campaign.
Shaw said National were using “scaremongering” tactics.
He said his party’s tax policy was one of a number of priorities the Greens would bring to potential coalition talks.
Labour pledged in its campaign this year it would not introduce any other taxes if it were to return to Government, bar a tax on the top two per cent of earners .
Yesterday on TVNZ1’s Q+A, Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson told voters their party was needed in the next Government to push Labour on climate and inequality issues.
Marama Davidson and James Shaw say they’ll push Labour to go “further and faster” on climate change and inequality.
Shaw also told TVNZ1’s Breakfast in September that their proposed tax policy was not a “bottom line” in coalition talks.
The Greens' wealth tax policy would see New Zealanders with a net-worth greater than $1 million pay out one per cent of their wealth as tax.
Those worth more than $2 million would pay two per cent.
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