The Green Party held their annual conference this weekend. They made some promises about what they will do if they are part of the government after the election.
First, they will extend free doctors’ visits up to the age of 17. The National Party plans to make doctors’ visits free for all children up to the age of 13 but the Greens believe teenagers also need free doctors’ visits.
Another major promise is to help stop global warming. The Greens will tax all companies at $25 per tonne of CO2 emissions. Dairy farmers will also pay a tax but only $12.50 a tonne. At the moment, dairy farmers do not pay for CO2 emissions. Forestry will receive credits of $12.50 a tonne.
New Zealand has an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) which means that companies can buy carbon credits from overseas companies but the Greens say that this ETS is not working. Companies can sometimes get free or low cost carbon credits so they do nothing about pollution.
At the moment about 12% of people say they will vote Greens; however, if the Greens are part of a coalition government, some of these promises may become laws.
Vocabulary
- CO2 emissions – the carbon dioxide which factories and dairy cows put into the air
- credits – e.g. from a forest, a plus to balance the minus
- coalition government – two or more parties become the government and work together