Murray McCully

National Member of Parliament

16 October 2000

Labour are charm school dropouts

The Government's decision to exclude the Export Institute from its business forum in Auckland next week is further evidence that Labour's 'charm offensive' was a figment of their imagination, National's Murray McCully said today.

"The Minister of Finance has repeatedly said that the way out of the current economic slump is through an export led recovery. Locking the Export Institute out of the Government's business forum is a slap in the face for one of that sector's biggest advocacy groups.

"The guest list appears to have been drawn up in a random and arbitrary manner, with the exclusion of the Export Institute one of many bizarre decisions.

"For example why invite the Auckland and Wellington Chambers of Commerce, but leave out the Canterbury and Otago Chambers of Commerce? South Island businesses will rightly feel aggrieved.

'The more we learn about this forum the more apparent it becomes that it will be a farce. Unless Dr Cullen can produce a clear vision for the future then even those who have made the elite guest list will leave the forum none the wiser.

"The first step to improving business confidence is improving Government competence. This inept game of favourites over who will be allowed access to the forum shows competence is woefully absent from Labour's skill base," Murray McCully said.

Ends

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