https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/416076/grant-robertson-budget-2020-will-be-far-from-business-as-usual

National Party leader Simon Bridges said; "The government needs to carefully consider every spending decision they make because every cent will have to be paid off with higher taxes and by future generations."

CEAC response; This is hypocrisy from National, who for nine years cut back aggressively on every public service in NZ.

History;

National left the new Labour Coalition Government in 2017 with broken and rundown infrastructure NZ wide, that required restoration.

The Labour Coalition Government was now required to restore rail, roads, schools, hospitals and a raft of other rundown public services left to die by a reckless National Government hell bent to take funding out of every infrastructure project in NZ for their own extravagant wasteful “pet projects.”

We strongly encourage the Labour Coalition Government to carry on rebuilding all of this country's infrastructure of rail, roads, schools, hospitals etc., as planned.

We must build a strong resilient infrastructure now for future generations to cope with the increasing pressure of productivity and immigration expected during their time, as our forebears did for us; until successive neo-liberal Governments dropped the ball, this beginning during the mid-1980’s Roger-nomics era.

This Labour Coalition Government must not listen to Simon Bridges, as he advocates once again to follow National’s failed policy of taking funding from this Government's infrastructure projects for Nationals pet projects, (Roads and more Roads) , effectively winding down of any rebuilding of vital infrastructure that this Government has chosen to embarked upon.

FACTS;

• The last National led Government allowed public services to be run down by their method of “deferring years of maintenance”.
• Deferring maintenance will cause our infrastructure to fail, as National has allowed to happen.
• Especially on rail and roading maintenance where deferred or a complete lack of maintenance, has led to failing rail lines and road washouts.
• PROOF HERE; https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00183/kiwirail-admits-lack-of-maintenance-led-to-wash-out.htm quote; KiwiRail has admitted that its failure to maintain old and damaged culverts was behind the wash out that closed the Gisborne-Napier railway line in 2012, while cuts to its maintenance budget are putting the network at further risk, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says. unquote.
• National in 2011, took funding from KiwiRail’s Gisborne rail maintenance account and reportedly 12 rail maintenance staff jobs were lost, and National then ‘redistributed the funding elsewhere’. This contributed to the washouts and other damage of late March 2012, that has closed our rail service ever since.
• KiwiRail then in 2018 pledged to join the fight against climate change.
• https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/media/kiwirail-joins-climate-leaders-coalition/

Considering that KiwiRail signed up as a partner to the ‘Climate Leaders Coalition’ when the previous CEO Peter Reidy was in charge in 2018, quote; -‘in their drive for positive change’- and working with suppliers to reduce emissions, with the aim of helping to keep global warming within two degrees, as specified in the Paris Agreement.’

• CEAC claims that using rail will effectively lower climate emissions.
• Therefore as National caused the Gisborne to Wairoa rail line to fail and did not support reinstatement, National are also directly responsible for the higher climate emissions caused by a complete reliance on road freight to serve the Gisborne area.

We contend that Simon Bridges is clearly off the rail track here.!!

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