ACT Condemns Labour Arrogance

Wednesday 10 Dec 2003 Heather Roy Press Releases -- Health

ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy today expressed frustration over Labour's arrogance in announcing the imminent signing of the trans-Tasman therapeutic goods joint agency agreement to include dietary supplements and complementary medicines before the Select Committee inquiry report was even tabled in Parliament.

"The strength of feeling amongst my Health Select Committee colleagues - excluding the Labour members - has been shown by the cross party press conference held at 10am today.

"ACT, National, New Zealand First, the Greens and United Future all favour mutual recognition - as opposed to harmonisation in the regulation of dietary supplements.

"We had thought that the committee's Labour members, who voted in favour of the report, also agreed with this strategy - it is obvious, however, that they had been stringing the rest of the committee along while the report was being written.

"Labour obviously had no intention of taking the inquiry findings into account. Fifteen months of work, and huge input from the dietary supplement industry, is being completely ignored. Labour is showing its absolute contempt for the Select Committee process," Mrs Roy said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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