Government Budget Surplus w/ Glenn Barclay: October 9, 2019

Yesterday the government announced the largest budget surplus in a decade. Finance Minister Grant Robertson stated that their surplus had increased to 7.5 billion dollars. He attributed this to a strong economy that is “outperforming much larger developed countries”. John Milford, chief executive of Wellington Chamber of Commerce stated in an RNZ interview that the surplus was delivered by a strong business community, high employment and a strong GST take. Meanwhile, the National party has rebuked the government's claims, accusing them of “sitting on a stack of money” by not properly supporting underfunded public services. The Public Service Association, New Zealand's largest union, representing a variety of government-employed workers, has stated that this surplus is an indication that more needs to be spent on services and issues, including the housing crisis, hospitals and beneficiaries. William Boyd spoke with PSA National Secretary Glenn Barclay about their recent press release on the announcement. Will started off by quoting both the government and National’s stance on the surplus and asking whether he or the PSA agrees with either.