Aussie business to Key: 'Take over'

Aussie-based SkyCity Chairman asks NZ PM Key to stay in Australia and "run the country" instead of Labour PM Julia Gillard

6th Jul 12, 11:00am by Alex Tarrant

'Please stay and run our country,' was the plea from Australian businesses to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key yesterday as he addressed a business lunch in Sydney.

Corporate opposition to the economic policies of Australian Labor PM Julia Gillard and her Treasurer Wayne Swan is growing across the ditch. Opposition leader Tony Abbott looks increasingly likely to come to power in 2013 on the back of opposition to the Gillard government's recently introduced carbon tax, not to mention the disarray Labor has found itself in as new rumours of leadership stoushes seem to arise every week.

“Prime Minister, I’m not sure what you’re doing next week, but the question is: Australian business would like you to run the country,” lunch attendee Rod McGeoch told Key in Sydney, according to the Australian Financial Review (AFR).

McGeoch, based in Australia, is the chairman of New Zealand's SkyCity Entertainment Group , which is currently in talks with the government to build, and pay for, a NZ$350 million convention centre in Auckland in exchange for more pokie machines and an extension of its casino licence.

The AFR said Key was in Australia "to take local manufacturing back home to lower-cost New Zealand."

Means-testing the pension?

The AFR went all wobbly kneed over Key's visit, giving him front-page prominence and headlining its editorial, Once again NZ shows us how.

"In the 1980s it was New Zealand’s breakneck economic reform program that impressed Australians. Now it is the clear-sighted style of leadership practised by NZ Prime Minister John Key’s National-led minority government that we could benefit from," the AFR said.

"Mr Key is introducing the next generation of reforms. His approach is methodical, not ideological, and he has been extremely careful not to break promises," it said.

The AFR did appear to know more about Key's policies than the Press Gallery in Wellington did, when it wrote, "Mr Key’s journey from humble beginnings to NZ’s wealthiest MP has given him a licence to undertake social welfare reforms such as drug testing for welfare benefits and means testing of the age pension."

The Prime Minister's office reassured interest.co.nz they "think AFR got this wrong," with respect to the means-testing pension comment.

And just to highlight the dislike of the Gillard government in Australia (and possibly of the shadow Cabinet as well), the AFR concluded its editorial by saying:

"As reassuringly dependable, orthodox yet “decisive” – for example when choosing in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake to pay a $400 a week subsidy to the city’s workers, against official advice – Mr Key’s practical but focused leadership style is benefiting NZ. It would be welcome on this side of the Tasman given the political mess festering in Canberra."

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34 Comments

by meh | 6th Jul 12, 11:32am 1341531133

Ha, great Friday funny Alex.

“Prime Minister, I’m not sure what you’re doing next week, but the question is: Australian business would like you to run the country" read between the lines - Australian business need a lackey as well.

by Matt in Auck | 6th Jul 12, 12:26pm 1341534365

ha ha exactly

I'm a big admirer of Gillard and her Government. She is gutsy and has made gutsy decisions.

Key is just a washed up businessman with no balls

by robby217 | 6th Jul 12, 11:54pm 1341575663

Talk about hypocrisy of the highest order.

If JK had made such a momentiously stupid broken promise as "There will be no Carbon Tax under a government I lead" he would rightly be lampooned, but you think Gillard has been gutsy.

In case you haven't been paying attention, Gillards treasurer aka Swanny has run the four largest deficits in Australian history, and all during a supposed 'booming' economy. What will happen were the tide to go out?

by Plan B | 7th Jul 12, 2:06pm 1341626809

maybe it is not really a boom economy at all. maybe resources are actually destroying many parts of the Oz economy. So maybe the tide has gone out already. The large deficits are there to keep an economy transacting- the combination of pwerful banking interests, powerful mining interests and out of control local government seem particuarly toxic.

Mining has to be taxed. It is a one off hit. The mine owners in London do not care about Australia. They never have, it is built into their DNA.

One thing we have nearly always been able to so about Australians is that they have guts.

by robby217 | 7th Jul 12, 3:12pm 1341630747

Again how does the Carbon Tax do anything to help the economy?. It will be another push factor to move energy intensive industry to where there are no carbon tax related costs.

by steven | 7th Jul 12, 3:45pm 1341632711

Its not there to help the economy, its there to help us not go extinct. What we can do in NZ is introduce carbon tariffs for any products from countries with no such tax pay.

regards

by robby217 | 7th Jul 12, 4:12pm 1341634340

Oh FFS.

What is the more plausiable explanation of the carbon tax implementation?

a) there to help us not go extinct

b) Swanny running the four largest deficits in Australian history now needs something to try and plug the hole.

by Chairman Moa | 6th Jul 12, 12:54pm 1341536086

No no no, I'll take Julia anyday.. she doesn't muck around and not having that "she'll be right" approach to the economy..

She and her Finance Minister + treasurer will give John and Bill really good run for their money!

by dh | 6th Jul 12, 11:52am 1341532342

Let's see- The SkyCity convention centre "No taxpayer money" deal is currently looking like

"Budget documents reveal that if the plan goes ahead, taxpayers will contribute up to $2.1 million to ensure its design and facilities meet Government expectations."

So I'm not surprised the SkyCity would also like Key to be in charge of Australia.

by philthy | 6th Jul 12, 1:12pm 1341537123

It would raise the IQ of both countries if he did.

by Chris_J | 6th Jul 12, 1:15pm 1341537334

Don't encourage him, his head might explode!

But really is NZ a shining example of good management? No ... it's probably about as good as the once lauded Ireland.

by Ergophobia | 6th Jul 12, 1:18pm 1341537520

The maori grievance industry and the waitangi tribunal would be sad to see Jokey go.

Ergophobia

by printer8 | 6th Jul 12, 2:00pm 1341540005

Not a silly idea.

The outcome of John Key as Australian Prime Minister is probably the most likely means of John actually doing something to be able to close the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia as promised.

by iconoclast | 6th Jul 12, 2:08pm 1341540523

As the aboriginal folk would say - dreamtime. To be prime minister of australia he would need to become an australian citizen and renounce his new zealand citizenship. As an australian citizen the best he would get is the OA honour ("Order of Australia") and would never get his knighthood.

by Vanderlei Luxemburgo | 6th Jul 12, 2:42pm 1341542529

where did this story come from? it smells like a bit of black-ops PR

by scarfie | 6th Jul 12, 9:00pm 1341565203

Pretty blood good one though I reckon, some creative genius behind it that is for sure but we know the idea didn't come from the National Party :-P Not that I give a toss about policics but this is quite funny.

by StanGoodvibes | 6th Jul 12, 4:48pm 1341550129

Well I just did my online tax return and am dismayed that the Aussie govt is taking $3000 *more* dollars in tax for healthcare (which I never use) just to use to buy the bogan vote ($5000 per kid, new Mcmansion buyers subsidy etc etc).

John could hardly do any worse.

by David B | 6th Jul 12, 5:45pm 1341553550

"Mr Key is introducing the next generation of reforms. His approach is methodical, not ideological, and he has been extremely careful not to break promises," it said.

Yeah, and Kate and the rest of the Left reckon he's a huge A-hole because of it. I guess that means they wish he had an approach that was ad hoc, ideological and dishonest - that must be what they prefer and are used to on the Left.

by Gibber | 6th Jul 12, 7:25pm 1341559553

David B,

Thanks. Needed a laugh.

In My opinion, you pretty much summed up what I think the Donk is.

by Plan B | 8th Jul 12, 12:35pm 1341707752

I think the writer is to say that that Key has no idea what he is doing but is very good at the process. Sounds about right.

by Kunst | 8th Jul 12, 12:55pm 1341708909

....and “Sounds about right” – stop the government allowing megalomaniac farming practices, which have negative consequences for the nation/ environment and often cannot even be controlled.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7241937/Salmon-dying-at-controversial-Marlborough-farm

by kane02 | 7th Jul 12, 9:24am 1341609889

This must be a Labour forum having read the posts above. I take my hat off to Key - and contrary to the above think National are doing it mostly right. Just yesterday I had meeting with two Australian businesses relocating to NZ. Up to 40 jobs on offer. They are disbanding there Aussie operation citing high operating costs, taxation, and labour laws. Things that English and JK have both touted in recent years, and been instrumental in changing. Thank goodness The left aren't in charge eh?. Keep up the good work guys

by Plan B | 8th Jul 12, 12:49pm 1341708585

The businesses are arbitaging the exchange rate and resulting wage rate differential.

Actually New Zealand is a high cost low wge economy, a very strange place to be. It sort of functions because we seem to be able to get by on low levels of transactions, and a large informal economy.

Making NZ workers poorer willnot help increase the number of official transactions in the economy ( the stuff that GDP measures). Our cost structure is now extremely high and barriers to market entry also very high. Market manipulation through access to government, or through official inertia is completely out of hand.

We have two supermarket groups, no international food brands to speak of.

We have George Kerr getting away with some very odd behaviour with PGG

We have Sky City dealing directly with the Prime Minister

We have huge numbers of people locating to Australia. THis is a massive cost to New Zealand.

We are importing third world labour terms a conditions in farming, fishing, shop keeping and restaurants.

We have allowed a bubble to develop in house prices, our currency to be debased in the process.

It is a strange place at the moment.

by Alan Henderson | 8th Jul 12, 3:02pm 1341716569

"We have huge numbers of people locating to Australia. THis is a massive cost to New Zealand."

The Treasury Secretary forecast a couple of years back that another 400,000 Kiwis would cross the Tasman by 2025, and the NZ Institute forecast that we'd be overtaken in per capita GDP by Botswana and Khazakstan the same year.

We're on track to do it earlier.

by Stephen Hulme | 7th Jul 12, 11:13am 1341616436

'Please stay and run our country,' was the plea from Australian businesses to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key yesterday as he addressed a business lunch in Sydney.

Well I wish Mr Key would take control and put a halt to this type of nonsense and the probable cost blow-out consequences. I am still waiting for the flow on benefits of RWC other than my tax payment debits:

The Auditor-General is investigating Auckland councillor Cathy Casey's complaint that a secret report on the V8 supercars was hidden from the council by its standalone events body. Read Herald article

Lets hope the Auditor- General is mindful of the salient points raised here:

Government promises to public employees have created “zero-risk” Wonderlands protected from the market forces of risk and consequence. These islands of privilege are snapping back to join the real economy.

Every government entity that reckoned it was moated from the market economy will be snapped back to “discover” risk and consequence. Let’s lay out the dynamic:

by Kunst | 8th Jul 12, 3:33pm 1341718380

Good one Sore- loser – “We have mandate, but we never ask the taxpayer”

by Kunst | 8th Jul 12, 5:58pm 1341727090

War on greed, corruption and unethical behaviour.

Sore- loser - one can only hope - soon - revolutionary events by the younger generation are initiating most needed culture changes.

by Christov | 7th Jul 12, 11:32am 1341617525

'Please stay and run our country,'.................as you are obviously parasite freindly.

'Please stay and run our country,'..................as your voice is somehow more effeminate than our Julia's and I think you'd look cute in heels an a little off the shoulder number.

'Please stay and run our country,'..................as you haven't got a dingo's show of running your own without us.

'Please stay and run our country,'...................as we love the idea of paying peons piss all to work harder for homes they can't afford serviced by utilities that require small mortgages to maintain.

'Please stay and run our country,'....................and you can bring that yokel mate of yours Billy Bob too , he's got that deadpan humour about him, calling black white and so forth...bloody riot he is.....not keen on the Fat man, doesn't seem all that bright and we already have plenty of yes men who prolly eat less.

'Please stay and run our country,'.......................into the ground if you know what I mean..?, dirty big holes in the ground with minning loot sloshing out of the peons pockets right into our pokies.......

'Please stay and run our country,'....................as asset striping, floating off,..damaging, ...near collapsing, ...reflogging the broken model, completely rebrand repakage and presto here we are in Corporate Control H.Q......OMG it's all good..!

'Please stay and run our country,'............................as Our Banks already run yours....so uh...you know.

by MortgageBelt | 8th Jul 12, 10:17am 1341699473

Little known Aussie/NZ Super fact: If you decide at 50 to work & live in Aus for 11 years then return to NZ - then you will be ineligible for NZ universal Super - due to not living for 5 years or more between 50 & 65 in NZ.

by Plan B | 8th Jul 12, 1:06pm 1341709587

One3 thing to note about the Ket CV.

From the outside it appears that every private business he has been involved in has subsequently failed.

The accounting firm- his first job- ended up being gobbled up by a bigger firm, harly a success-

Elders Finance- gone bust

Banker Trust- gone Bust

Merrill Lynch- Gone Bust

nothing to do with Key in particular just interesting. I guess his survival skills will work well for him but we cannot afford for NZ to go bust can we.

I think you have to look at all of JKs behavious strictly through a lense of self ineterest. Everything he does and says are for him, there is no greater good than JK.

by Alan Henderson | 8th Jul 12, 2:50pm 1341715841

What are they smoking?

Take them up on their offer before they sober up.

by Simpleton | 8th Jul 12, 7:11pm 1341731516

How will they even understand each other?

John Key: 'Fush un chups un mulk un swutshuts'.

Aussies: 'Feeesh een cheeeps een meeeelk en sweeetsheeets'.

John Key: 'Wut dud ju suy?'

Aussies: 'Wet deeed yeew sey?'

A while a go I was in a cafe and a middleaged Ocker woman asked the Malay waitress for another "norf". The poor waitress was buggered by this, as was I, until the Ocker made cutting motions, and we discovered she was actually after another "knife". But she and the other Aussies in her group all looked at each other and rolled their eyes as if to say "stupid bloody [insert racial epithet for Asian]".

by moa man | 8th Jul 12, 7:21pm 1341732063

Was the cafe in Malaysia or Australia?

by Simpleton | 8th Jul 12, 7:51pm 1341733904

NZ.