"Jim Anderton's job machine is in reverse gear because so far it's destroying jobs, not creating them," National's Finance spokesperson and Clutha Southland MP Bill English said today

Mr English was commenting on Carter Holt Harvey's announcement today of the closure of its Mataura paper mill in his electorate, with the loss of 150 jobs.

"Jim Anderton and Helen Clark are strangely absent from the regions when jobs are disappearing. All the talk about regional development just looks like a scheme for getting Ministers' photos in the paper because they only show up when there is money to be given away," Mr English said.

"In recent months we have seen the Government cashing in on local initiatives with funding for local development projects that were already up and running. In the last month Eastern Southland has lost 190 jobs and the Government is nowhere to be seen"

"I am sure Carter Holt Harvey would have held on longer but for the ACC changes and the threat of the Employment Relations Bill. The regional development policies will need to be very good to replace the jobs destroyed by the rest of the Government's policies," Mr English said.

"For Helen Clark and Jim Anderton it's just all politics, but for families in Eastern Southland who voted for them it's the end of a whole way of life."

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