Brownlee’s credibility gap widening

The gulf between the Minister of Energy’s public statements and his actions continues to widen, further damaging the Government’s credibility on mining, Metiria Turei, Green Party Co-leader said today.

Minister Brownlee was emphatic last year when he said “I make it very clear that no one is talking about mining our national parks”. Despite this public assurance, the Minister went on to propose the removal of parts of Kahurangi, Mount Aspiring, Rakiura and Paparoa National Parks from Schedule 4, in order to allow mining. After three attempts, Cabinet released a discussion document proposing only the removal of part of Paparoa National Park for mining.

“The Cabinet committee process exposed over the weekend was a shambles, and clearly shows that Cabinet lost patience and faith in the Minister’s ability to manage his portfolio,” Mrs Turei said.

“Brownlee’s two failed attempts at writing the discussion document and a policy flip-flop were required before Cabinet gave the task to an independent sub-committee to complete.

“The public continues to be misled. The Minister has placed a reservation over Mount Aspiring National Park, ‘for the purposes of considering those areas of land for allocation of permits by competitive tender’.

“The Minister is already spending $4 million in survey money in areas he earlier declared were off–limits, including Mount Aspiring National Park. This is the same money he has asked for public feedback on within the discussion document.

“Will the Minister pay back the money if the public feedback doesn’t approve of it?

“How can the public have confidence in the Minister, when Cabinet clearly does not?

“We now have a situation where the Minister claims that official maps on the Crown Minerals website don’t mean what they say. Who should we believe?

“We are well past the time when the Minister should be held accountable for the mess he has made of his portfolio,” Mrs Turei said.

The released Schedule 4 Cabinet papers:
http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/Page____43174.aspx

The Minister’s notice of land closure for survey prior to permitting:
http://www.crownminerals.govt.nz/cms/news/2010/Notice-of-Land-Closure%20/

ENDS

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