Six elements of the new government’s policy agenda with its obsessive focus on “economic growth” expose a callous indifference to more deaths and much worse health outcomes that will inevitably result.
Repealing smoke-free laws that would have prevented youth smoking is outrageous. Now, more youths will start smoking, increasing future rates of cancer, lung disease and premature deaths.
Raising speed limits in urban areas and school zones will result in more fatalities and serious injuries. All for the sake of 27 seconds saved on a typical urban commute (Wellington study).
Allowing increased agricultural pollution of drinking water is a huge public health risk. Higher nitrate levels from cow urine are linked to bowel cancer and pre-term births that will now spike.
The Fast-Track Approvals Bill bypasses environmental and health protections and ‘green lights’ projects that will cause more air/water contamination worsening public health outcomes.
Their inaction on climate change will inevitably lead to more deaths, injuries and displacement from the worsening impacts of extreme weather events.
Incentivising diesel over electric vehicles while we already suffer 3,000 annual premature deaths mostly from fossil-fuelled air pollution is unconscionable and will directly cost more lives and hospitalisations.
In their mindless pursuit of a failed ideology, these policies expose a government terrifyingly indifferent to more deaths and much worse health outcomes; all at a multibillion-dollar cost. We didn’t vote for this.
