I never got that chance. David Lange called a tea break and the rest is history.

But the social problems that beset our community have not gone away. Now eight years later, they are much worse. We are now creating a permanent underclass of unskilled, unhealthy and unhappy New Zealanders. It is a timebomb that, left unattended, will undermine everything New Zealand has achieved in the last 10 years.

In 1995 ACT is the only party with policies to solve these problems. Yes it means more reforms, yes it means more changes, but it is all simple, straightforward common sense stuff. The big difference between today and 10 years ago is that if we put ACT's policies in place, it will be all gain and no pain. If we don't, the path of social disruption will grow and grow.

New Zealand has led the world before in economic and social policy; ACT is saying we can do so again. We can:

• Virtually eliminate unemployment, holding it at two percent or under for the sustainable future.

• We can have the highest rate of growth in the developed world.

• We can have real wage increases at a level New Zealanders have never experienced before.

• We can eliminate government debt - even the $260 billion owed in superannuation payments to the existing workforce and the retired.

• We can have the best education and health systems in the world.

• We can have a retirement policy where every New Zealander has the opportunity to live off the interest they earn on their accumulated savings.

That's a big promise. But ACT has the policy that delivers in every area. All our figures, all our sums and equations, have been authenticated by our leading financial firms. We don't just make promises; we back them up - that's how confident we are of our facts. And that's a big first in New Zealand's political history.

The figures do add up, but I don't want to talk about them tonight - I want to talk about the effect of these policies on our lives. The fundamental problem in New Zealand society today is leadership. Our political leaders all think that politicians know how to spend your money better that you know yourself.

Our plan is a simple one. We are going to give back the money you earn and pay in taxes and the state wastes. We are saying it is time New Zealanders took back the fundamental right to manage their own lives and provide for their own education, health and security without the threat of state mismanagement.

We are going to extend to all New Zealanders the privilege of being able to buy their own health and education and provide for their own retirement. Thousands of New Zealanders already do just that. Why can't the rest of us? That essentially is the basic, logical ACT proposition. It's simple common sense.

ACT promises to ensure every New Zealander enjoys the same opportunities and benefits that some New Zealanders now take for granted - like a health insurance policy in their own name.

Why?

Because a private health insurance policy means prompt treatment while state insurance means long waiting lists. That's why one and a half million New Zealanders already have their own policies. They rarely, if ever, end up on the waiting list. Under ACT health policy, all New Zealanders will hold their own personal health insurance, thereby getting prompt treatment when they need it.

ACT is going to give everyone their own superannuation scheme.

Why?

Because a superannuation policy in your name equals security, it is yours by rights certain secure, inalienable. You'll hold it in your own bank account. No government can ever take it from you and no government can reduce it. That's why 25% of all New Zealanders have a super policy. Again why can't all New Zealanders?

Under ACT every New Zealander will be required to save 7% of their income toward their retirement. ACT is also going to give all New Zealanders the opportunity to send their children to what they regard to be quality schools.

Why?

Because in the world of the 21^st century, education is of critical importance to individuals and our nation. Our national wealth is not just in the resources found in the ground or in the sea. It's our people as well. We need a system that builds people's self-esteem and independence. The present education system fails to do that. That's why 20% of New Zealanders, who are able to do so, prefer to send their children to private schools, or alternatively, buy a home in a particular area, so they can send their child to what they regard as a quality public school.

The driving force behind ACT's common sense policies is the belief that we can produce better social services by using taxpayers' money more intelligently. And to understand that, we need to understand how those services are paid for by the government now.

It is a fact that the total amount of money currently generated by income tax is equal to the amount the government spends on health, superannuation, education and debt. Income tax is not required to cover welfare or beneficiary payments - that's covered by GST income.

At the policy launch two weeks ago we spelt out how we were going to make those health, superannuation and education services more efficient and how, at the same time, we would produce a zero income tax situation in our first year in office.

Tonight I am just going to cover the general principles again of how and why it is so logical and why it will work.

Let's look at super:

The average New Zealander has no security of income in old age. The current government superannuation scheme allows the state to spend what you pay in, where not a cent is saved, there is no planning, no security, no reserves and where today's pensions are paid hand to mouth by taxing the next generation.

ACT's common sense approach acknowledges that a retirement fund is simply a savings scheme where the individual's savings are inalienably his or hers. We'll guarantee you keep your savings in your account earning interest in your name where no government can touch it.

The final proof that it is yours and not the governments is that you can bequeath it to your children if you die before retirement age, or take an option on retirement, other than annuity.