Fashion Shortage Reveals Ideological Faults

Wednesday 21 Aug 2002 Deborah Coddington Press Releases -- Commerce

If the Labour-Anderton Government wants skill levels in New Zealand to increase it should dump the moratorium crippling the private training establishment sector and abandon business favouritism , ACT Commerce Spokesman Deborah Coddington said today.

"News that the fashion industry is being held back by a lack of trained machinists should be no surprise to this Government. Two Government policies are responsible.

"First the freeze on new private training establishments is cheating many young people out of the chance to get an appropriate qualification and improve their personal prosperity.

"Second, by `picking winners', Labour and Jim Anderton have falsely accelerated the development of some sectors at the expense of others. They have pumped plaudits and funding into the glamorous fashion sector, but forgotten completely about the industries that keep fashion going.

"This reveals the problem with trying to drive an economy with Government intervention and favouritism. Muldoon favoured farmers and owners of television assembly plants. Anderton snuggles up to the rag trade.

"The best way for Government to help business is to reduce regulatory interference, lower taxes and promote a market economy," Miss Coddington said.

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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