6 November 2000 Media Statement

Opposition needs to sort out story

"Jobs are being created, in rural areas and across New Zealand," says Jim Anderton, Deputy Prime Minister. "and at least some of the National Party have acknowledged this."

On Thursday the National Party employment spokesperson Bob Simcock, welcomed the employment statistics from the Household Labour Force survey saying the " unemployment figures released today are generally good news…"

"Now we have Max Bradford saying that regional development policies are failing to stop the loss of jobs in regional New Zealand. A statement which contradicts the Department of Statistics.

"I would suggest National MPs get their line of attack right. Either there are 37,000 new jobs in the economy in the last year or there aren't," said Jim Anderton. According to the Household Labour Force survey there was an annual employment growth in Otago, Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough the West Coast, Wellington, Manawatu, Wanganui, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Auckland. The unemployment rate is down to 5.9 per cent, the lowest rate since 1988.

"Under the Labour Alliance Coalition Government there are schemes and funding to create jobs that were not available before. The last round of the Enterprise Awards Scheme funded a number of job creating business ideas, and these were all around the country.

"Tomorrow I am making an announcement about a major new regional job machine initiative, made possible by this Labour Alliance Coalition Government. This is more than Max Bradford was ever able to do in the hands-off National government," said Jim Anderton.

ENDS

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