Today’s issue of Trans-Tasman includes an interesting snippet from a BERL report comparing our government consumption spending with other OECD nations.

According to the report we are in the mainstream of expenditure at 18.8%, more than Australia (17.7%), but less than Canada (19.3%) or the UK (21.2%). But the really interesting fact is that the average for the 30 years to 2007 was 18.5%. As Trans-Tasman itself notes, so much for a huge disproportionate growth in bureaucracy under Labour.

The truth is that in Labour’s time in office we  re-built services that were undermined by National in the 90s. The percentage of people working in the public sector as a part of the total workforce has actually declined since the 1990s. National’s claims are nothing but spin to justify the widespread cuts to the public service. In the end we all suffer with these policies as it takes years to re-build the services New Zealanders need and deserve.