Parliament is now back in full swing and National has shown that we are ready to hold the Government to account as a strong and unified opposition.
It is the role of the opposition to test the government’s policies and make sure they are prepared for Parliament. Last week we challenged Labour on whether they had organised themselves enough to elect their chosen speaker and we had our first few question times of the year
Being in opposition is not all always about opposing things. While we will certainly oppose new laws that we think will undermine the hard work New Zealander’s have put in, we will also support things that we believe will build on the successes of hard working New Zealanders. That is why Bill English has promised National’s support for any new TPP legislation and for extending paid parental leave. This is the opposition party working as it should be, in the interests of New Zealand.
In terms of my role, I continue to serve as National’s chief whip, organising our Caucus in Parliament and ensuring everything runs smoothly within the team. In addition to this, Bill English has asked me to be the National Party’s Local Government spokesperson, and associate spokesperson for Transport. As someone who has previous served as a city councillor for both Manukau City and Auckland councils, it is good to be back on familiar territory.
In my role as spokesperson I will be looking to ensure that both taxpayers and ratepayers are getting value for the money we all pay to the Government and our local councils.
National is committed to ensuring that ratepayers get clear information about how their councils are performing, identifying and fixing frustrating and inefficient rules and regulations. We also need to ensure that the central government is working constructively with individual local and regional councils to ensure each region has the support it needs for the unique challenges and opportunities they face.
I am excited to get stuck in to the role and start holding the Government to account to ensure that our councils, community boards and ratepayers have a strong voice in Parliament from the National party. I am always happy to listen to the views of New Zealanders, so I certainly welcome feedback and ideas from locals.
Jami-Lee Ross
Member of Parliament for Botany
