Monday 19th Jun 2000
Rodney Hide
Media Release -- Economy

ACT Finance Spokesman Rodney Hide today described Jim Anderton’s plans to have a “people’s bank” as “daft” and called on Helen Clark to put the interests of the country and taxpayers ahead of coalition politics.

Mr Hide said the only reason the “people’s bank” would get the green light was because it was considered by Labour to be the least damaging of the Alliance’s extremist policies. “Labour doesn’t care about the people’s bank, they just need something to keep Jim Anderton happy after publicly trashing Alliance policies in the past few weeks,” he said.

“Here we have yesterday’s man coming up with last century’s solutions for the new millennium. It’s absurd to think that Jim Anderton, with taxpayers money, can provide a better service than a commercial bank. It’s absurd to think that he can do so for lower costs and that he can do so with out risking taxpayer funds,” said Rodney Hide.

“Taxpayers have paid dearly in the past for politicians who thought that they could play at business while in Parliament. What Jim Anderton knows about banking you could fit on the back of a New Zealand Post stamp,” he said.

“Jim Anderton and the Government should concentrate on fixing the health system rather than making a mess of the banking system,” said Rodney Hide.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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