David
SHEARER
Labour Leader
12 March 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT
John Key must listen to the people on asset sales

John Key and the National Government must listen to the voices of the almost 400,000 New Zealanders who are calling for a referendum to be held on asset sales, says Labour Leader David Shearer.

“I’d like to thank the Kiwis who have signed this petition for standing up for New Zealand and fighting this Government’s disastrous asset sales plan. We will make sure your voices are heard.

“More than 80% of New Zealanders are against the sale of our assets. We call on John Key to listen to the will of the people.

“History tells us that if these assets are sold they will end up in the hands of foreign and corporate investors. The fact that the Government is listing Mighty River on the Australian Stock Exchange shows that it’s more concerned about the price it will get than keeping the assets in New Zealand hands.

“We also know that foreign and corporate investors will want to push profits up. And that means power prices will go up for Kiwi families.

“These companies are currently 100% Kiwi owned. Why would we want them to end up in the hands of just 5%? It’s lunacy. It’s a bad deal for taxpayers and it’s a bad deal for the future of this country,” said David Shearer.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>