07-03-2025, 01:28 AM
Tropica Today
Labour-Greens coalition celebrates legislative successes in first 18 months
Nikutabi - November 5624 - A year and a half on from Tropica’s first election under the new constitution, the Parliament is getting into the slow lull of normality. William Tama’s Labour-Green coalition has passed various laws that’ve started up several undeniably massive welfare programs, alongside other progressive initiatives. The most notable of these is ’TropiCare’, a somewhat oddly named Universal Healthcare program. A pet project of Tama’s, it was the first bit of actual policy passed by the Parliament in its first session. Under TropiCare, 95% of trips to the GP will be paid for by the state. A similar figure applies to non-elective surgeries, but elective surgeries will not be covered under the program. Opposition leader Andrew Rangi criticised the ‘wastage’ of the budget on the program, as well as the tax hikes on the higher income brackets to pay for it.
Another major piece of legislation that passed in the first 18 months of the new Parliament was the Emissions Trading Scheme, a key policy in the Green Party’s manifesto if they got into a coalition, and Green environment minister Adam Reece managed to push it through cabinet with help from his party’s leader, Deputy PM Kiri Nikora. The legislation passed the Assembly 246-153, with the Labour and Green MNAs being joined by all 29 Democrat MNAs and 9 Pati Mātou MNAs. The scheme also passed the National Council easily, 18-16 (1 absent) with the 18 Labour councillors all voting for. The scheme came into effect at the start of FY26, and has already seen many of the Federation’s biggest polluters sign on and reap the benefits the scheme offered. Although in his quest to oppose everything this undeniably centre-left government puts forward that isn’t extolling true conservative values, Andrew Rangi has announced that if he’s elected in the June 5628 election (which is still 4 years away), scrapping the ETS will be the first thing he’ll do, even though the Conservatives getting elected in 5628 at this rate looks more and more unlikely by the day, as Prime Minister Tama’s approval ratings continue to soar, reaching a net positive of 12% in the latest Tropican Broadcasting Corporation poll, and the Conservatives are currently sitting anywhere between 3 and 5 points behind Labour over the last ten polls.
Another major piece of legislation that passed in the first 18 months of the new Parliament was the Emissions Trading Scheme, a key policy in the Green Party’s manifesto if they got into a coalition, and Green environment minister Adam Reece managed to push it through cabinet with help from his party’s leader, Deputy PM Kiri Nikora. The legislation passed the Assembly 246-153, with the Labour and Green MNAs being joined by all 29 Democrat MNAs and 9 Pati Mātou MNAs. The scheme also passed the National Council easily, 18-16 (1 absent) with the 18 Labour councillors all voting for. The scheme came into effect at the start of FY26, and has already seen many of the Federation’s biggest polluters sign on and reap the benefits the scheme offered. Although in his quest to oppose everything this undeniably centre-left government puts forward that isn’t extolling true conservative values, Andrew Rangi has announced that if he’s elected in the June 5628 election (which is still 4 years away), scrapping the ETS will be the first thing he’ll do, even though the Conservatives getting elected in 5628 at this rate looks more and more unlikely by the day, as Prime Minister Tama’s approval ratings continue to soar, reaching a net positive of 12% in the latest Tropican Broadcasting Corporation poll, and the Conservatives are currently sitting anywhere between 3 and 5 points behind Labour over the last ten polls.