MEDIA RELEASE
Green Party Kaikoura Rail Campaign Breaches Party’s Own Mantra
27 NOVEMBER 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling out a Green Party online petition calling for the Government to “commit to funding rail rebuild” as precisely the dangerous political rhetoric taxpayers should fear.
Last week the Taxpayers’ Union called on rail and roading links to be examined with equal measure as transport officials examine options in rebuilding transport corridors in the upper South Island damaged in the Kaikoura earthquake.
"Effectively what the Greens are calling for is another blank cheque for rail,” says Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams. "The petition is inconsistent with comments in August by Green Transport Spokesperson, Julie Anne Genter, calling for rail funding to be treated in the same way as roads in the land transport funding system."
"The situation post-quake is that it is even more important that every dollar of infrastructure money is put to best use. Contrary to the Green Party’s claim that the Taxpayers’ Union is ‘pressuring the Government not to rebuild the rail line’, we want an objective examination of putting the money in better roads vis à vis replacing the rail line - precisely what the Greens wanted when it suited them.”
“The Greens often justify their faith in rail on environmental grounds. But if not replacing the rail connection to Picton means inter-island ferries return to Littleton, emissions will almost certainly be reduced in comparison to returning the freight to rail. We'd be mad to spend billions bailing out Kiwirail yet again, for a transport result which is worse for the environment.”
ENDS

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