28 June 2002

Marian Hobbs' decision today to shelve the TVNZ charter for another three months proves she's achieved absolutely zilch in her term as Broadcasting Minister, says National's Broadcasting spokesperson, Katherine Rich.

"It took her 18 months to write one page of the charter, two-and-a-half years to cut the value of TVNZ by half and now it's going to take her three years before the relevant legislation is even close to getting through Parliament.

"What's worse, she's using the forthcoming election as an excuse for the delay. The truth is she hasn't had a grasp of the portfolio since she took it on.

"The Minister should allow TVNZ to have the $12 million charter funding provided in the Budget, rather than holding it over with a lame excuse of the election campaign.

"Stating that the charter will strengthen TVNZ's relationship with the people of New Zealand is a bit hard to swallow when most people would have lost faith in it long before it is implemented," says Mrs Rich.

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