19 August 2009

Time to bring the ‘other Carter’ off the bench, asks North Shore Mayor?

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide’s disgraceful attempt to hoodwink the Auckland public with a false assurance that their community-owned assets are safe from privatisation shows it may be time to replace him in the portfolio, North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams said today.

“Rodney Hide’s behaviour on ‘Campbell Live’ last night was a disgrace for a Minster of the Crown, and the Prime Minister should consider replacing him with the experienced and affable Associate Local Government Minister John Carter,” Mayor Williams said.

“Rodney Hide crudely tried to twist his own Prime Minister’s words to tell the people of Auckland that their community-owned assets, built up over many years, are safe in public hands because the Prime Minister has ruled out privatisation. However John Campbell’s insightful questioning revealed the Prime Minister had said no such thing, and Rodney Hide knew it.”

Mayor Williams said a transcript of the exchange between Hide and Campbell reveals the following:

Hide: The Prime Minister has said no, there will be no privatisation. He’s the Prime Minister. I’m not the Mayor of Auckland. I’m not on the Council.

Campbell: But you’re being a tad disingenuous there.

Hide: No I’m not.

Campbell: Yes you are. The Prime Minister has said there will be no privatisation of state assets.

Hide: Correct.

Campbell: These are regional assets. Quite a different thing. Not covered by what John Key is talking about. And you know that.

Hide: That’s right.

“It is bad enough that Rodney Hide would misrepresent his own Prime Minister in this way, but even worse that he would do so in order to hoodwink the people of Auckland. Surely such behaviour by a Minister on national television is grounds for considering his replacement,” Mayor Williams said.

“Rodney Hide is hell-bent on bullying through his ‘super city’ plan, and has staked his reputation on delivering an all-powerful executive Mayor of Auckland, at-large councillors on the new Auckland Council, local ‘advocacy’ boards, and has promised huge savings for ratepayers. He is also determined to cap rates, restrict local councils to a very narrow range of ‘core services’ like collecting the rubbish and filling pot holes, and he wants to hold referenda on every local government issue that is ‘significant and irreversible.’”

“Rodney Hide has staked his reputation on delivering all of these ideologically driven changes, which have been widely criticised by local government leaders and the public up and down the country, and now with his shameful behaviour on television last night, the time may have come for the portfolio to be handed to John Carter.”

“John Carter has done an admirable job in chairing the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee and in engaging with the public over the ‘super city’ legislation, in stark contrast to Rodney Hide’s ‘winner take all’ bulldozer approach.”

“The game is up for Rodney Hide. Replacing him with John Carter would restore credibility so we can get on with making some real progress on dealing with the genuine issues confronting local government, without the hype, insincere rhetoric and hidden agendas of the current Minister,” Mayor Williams said.

Mayor Williams also said he found it ironic that Rodney Hide’s ACT Party will not support an opposition private members bill to require a referendum on the sale of Auckland community assets, when in his own Cabinet paper he proposes just such referenda.

ENDS

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