10 January 2001 Media Statement

Petrol prices would be going up under National

The latest round of petrol price rises would not have happened and petrol prices would be going up this month if the National Party was still in office, Acting Prime Minister Jim Anderton said today.

He says that is the flip side to calls last year from National leader Jenny Shipley for petrol tax to be cut when crude prices increased and the dollar fell

"If the government had cut taxes to subsidise petrol prices when crude oil rose, then the government would also be increasing taxes and putting petrol prices up now.

"Under a National-Act Government, New Zealanders would not be enjoying price cuts on their Christmas holidays as they are at the moment. Instead, Mrs Shipley would be swinging into them with some of the biggest tax increases in New Zealand's excise history.

"Not only that, but if the Government had subsidised petrol through a tax cut petrol companies would have had no incentive to cut prices.

"National's policies would lead to higher petrol prices.

"Instead of Mrs Shipley's short term opportunism, this Government kept the pressure on petrol companies and consumers are reaping the benefit.

"Only last month ago the Government opened a website that allows New Zealanders to compare international crude prices with the price they are paying at the pump. Perhaps it is only a coincidence that within days the pump price began to fall. Or perhaps not."

The website can be viewed at http://www.med.govt.nz/ers/oil_pet/prices/index.html

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>