Cash splash no new thinking

The atmosphere in which the forthcoming election will be fought has changed significantly due to this year’s Budget.

This change will not necessarily to the benefit of the Bill English’s National Party and Labour should be breathing a long sigh of relief.

The last three campaigns were conducted in the shadow of the global financial crisis and costly earthquakes, an environment ideal for a party with its carefully cultivated image of superior financial management.

It’s clear from the tax threshold adjustments, changes to Working for Families and increases in Accommodation Supplements that the previously tight focus on fiscal reticence is off for now and that voters can return to their normal state by pocketing the gains promised in this Budget and focusing on the issues left untouched by Budget 2017.

New Zealand governments seldom win four terms for two reasons.

First, they become arrogant in office, but apart from Alfred Ngaro’s recent clanger and Nick Smith’s attempt at getting away with a literal muddying of the waters, there hasn’t been much sign of over-confidence.

Second, they run out of fresh ideas, and problems they would have easily solved in their first term get put into the too-hard basket.

This is where National is vulnerable. With a bit of extra cash sloshing around we could have expected some creativity, but all we’ve got is more of the same.

With the economy off the agenda, many of the issues left untouched by National and by this Budget could come to dominate.

The increased Accommodation Supplement is a belated recognition of the housing crisis and, though it may ease the pressure on some renters, it will enrich landlords without addressing the house deficit.

Beyond that there was no sign of any new thinking or new policies to address this crisis and as we go into winter the Government again risks the sight of inhabited cars and crowded marae.

A second big deficit is around infrastructure. Although more funding is promised, National’s real problem seems to have been its inability to get anything major under way.

With Auckland again grinding to a halt, the only transport initiatives close to fruition were started by the Labour government nine years ago, and John Key’s signature projects like the Puhoi to Wellsford ‘‘holiday highway’’ have not even got off the drawing board.

A bit of originality around water matters would have been a nice surprise. Foreign companies sucking out mega litres of our aquifer water without paying a cent while Napier and Waiheke Island risk following Havelock North into undrinkable drinking water could have been given some attention.

A bit of creativity would have gone a long way.

Finance Minister Joyce is also National’s campaign manager. Can you yawn your way to victory?