Senior National MP Chris Bishop has accused the Labour Party of lying about the Government’s proposed changes to pay equity legislation, saying Labour is misrepresenting the facts to deflect from its own failed approach.

“Labour’s approach to pay equity has shown they have not changed their stripes since lying their way through the 2023 campaign,” Bishop said.

“By claiming National is cutting women’s pay, Labour is lying to women. National is not cutting women’s pay. The right to equal pay remains as it ever was. It is protected in law and will always be under this Government.”

Bishop defended National’s overhaul of the current pay equity system, describing the previous model as “broken” and riddled with flawed comparisons.

“Admin workers were being compared with civil engineers and social workers were being compared with detectives. We’re making the law simpler,” he said.

He added that the Government was not scrapping pay equity, and that settlements were still expected under the revised legislation, with funding already allocated to support them.

 

“Labour does not want to talk about the actual facts because they know their approach was increasingly unworkable and strayed from focusing on sex-based discrimination, which we have refocused the legislation on,” he said.

Bishop also criticised Labour’s broader economic track record, referencing its opposition to last year’s Budget and National’s tax relief plan.

“Just a year ago, Labour voted against a Budget with record health investment and against nurses and teachers keeping more of their own money,” he said. “Since then, Labour has opposed every measure that would grow our economy and lift incomes.”

“The facts are: Labour is lying when they claim National is cutting women’s pay. We are not getting rid of equal pay or pay equity. What we are doing is ensuring the pay equity scheme is workable, affordable and sustainable.”