国家党财政事务发言人艾米·亚当斯（Amy Adams）指出：“最新移民数据显示，新西兰人正在用脚投票。去年离开新西兰前往澳大利亚的人数，比前三年里从澳大利亚来新西兰的还多。

        “从年初到现在，新西兰前往澳大利亚的净流出人口已经超过2300，而在前国家党政府的最后一个任期，澳大利亚前来新西兰的净流入人口约为1600。

        “国家党于2008年刚刚当选执政时，从新西兰流向澳大利亚的人口每年超过3万人。我们通过艰苦工作，把每周税后工资收入差距缩小了50元，并连续6年实现人均国内生产总值（GDP per capita）的增长，进而扭转了人口外流趋势，

        “衡量一个国家是否有吸引力的简单标准是，有多少人选择在那里生活和工作。不幸的是，目前的势头似乎向着相反方向转变。

        “新西兰人用脚投票的现象，反映出政府糟糕的经济政策造成恶果的速度有多快，也说明了经济前景的不确定性能让人们的多年努力化作乌有。人们都倾向前往能够找到最佳发展机会的地方。显而易见，越来越多的新西兰人发现等待他们的机会是在澳大利亚，而不是在新西兰。

        “更糟的是，那些最灵活、最自由的外迁者，通常是最棒和最聪明的人。

        “政府应该关注越来越多的新西兰人打起背包、前往塔斯曼海（Tasman Sea）对岸的现实。我们需要缩小和澳大利亚的工资差距。然而不幸的是，这个政府所做的一切并不是为了发展经济把蛋糕做大。”

媒体联系人：杨健博士

联系电话：09-522 1535

People voting with their feet

The latest migration figures show Kiwis are voting with their feet with more people leaving for Australia in the past year than arrived in the previous three, says National Finance spokeswomen Amy Adams says.

“So far in 2018 there has been a net outflow of more than 2,300 people to Australia, which more than unwinds the net inflow of 1,600 people achieved in the last term of the previous National Government.

“When National came into office in 2008 there were more than 30,000 people leaving for Australia every year. We worked hard to turn this around by closing the after-tax wage gap by $50 a week and achieving six years of consecutively superior GDP per capita growth. 

“A pretty simple measure of a country’s attractiveness is how many people choose to live and work there. Unfortunately it seems the tide is now turning.

“It shows how quickly bad economic policies and uncertainty can undo years of hard work. People go where they have the best opportunity to get ahead. Clearly, more people now see that those opportunities lie in Australia not New Zealand.

“And what is worse, the most agile and free to move are often the best and brightest.

“The Government should be concerned that more people are now packing their bags and heading over the Tasman. We need to continue to try to close the wage gap with Australia. Unfortunately nothing this Government is doing is aimed at growing the pie.

Media contact: Jonathan Underhill 0274660366                                             

Authorised by G Hamilton, 41 Pipitea St, Wellington.