2 April 2002

National MP Marie Hasler has criticised Prime Minister Helen Clark for implying bungy-jumping is unsafe.

"Helen Clark says she has never been attracted to bungy-jumping and that 'I don't want a detached retina or anything like that for election year.'*

"In fact eye specialists say there is absolutely no evidence to back up this damaging urban myth. The co-founder and owner of A J Hackett, Henry Van Asch, says that his company administers 50,000 jumps a year and he has never heard of detached retinas.

"Comments such as this, without facts to back them up, are damaging and misleading to our tourism industry," says Ms Hasler.

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