Come clean with the New Zealand public Marion
Marion Hobbs should publicly detail her achievements as
Broadcasting minister and let New Zealanders judge her
ministerial performance, said ACT broadcasting spokesman
Penny Webster.
When asked at parliamentary question time
what she had done towards introducing local quota to
television, Marion Hobbs claimed to have lost her
answer.
“Clearly Marion Hobbs has confirmed by her lack
of an answer what everyone in New Zealand already suspects:
she has done nothing. Instead she is relying entirely on
officials to formulate Labours broadcasting
policy.
“After six months as the Minister of
Broadcasting, Marion Hobbs still does not understand the
basics of her position. She has continually passed the buck
for her own incompetence onto officials who have been unable
to reply.
“It was not until April 11 that Ms Hobbs made
the timid step of announcing an airy fairy review into the
broad policy objectives of a review that is to
follow.
“It would appear that Ms Hobbs has discovered
that local content quota is not the easy fix solution she
believed it was.
“Under Ms Hobbs guidance, television
advertising times are up, digital television has been
scrapped and Maori and Pacific Island interests in
broadcasting have not been advanced at all.
“Helen Clark
has recognised Ms Hobbs’ woeful performance and has given
her another ministerial assistant in an attempt to inject
competence into the ministerial office.
“I believe Marion
Hobbs should come clean with New Zealanders and state
clearly what she has done to protect the taxpayers $1.2
billion broadcasting asset or resign from her ministerial
position,” said Penny
Webster
ENDS