20 July, 2004

Dunne tells of a business-friendly future

United Future leader Peter Dunne this evening told a meeting of Hamilton business groups that the Government needs to look at tools such as infrastructure bonds to boost investment in neglected nationwide infrastructure.

"It's about really backing this country and not just talking about it," Mr Dunne said.

"The nation, and business in particular, will pay a huge price if we continue to under-invest in infrastructure, particularly in the areas of transport and energy," he told the meeting.

"If we don't start building our infrastructure, business will face increased costs and ever greater impediments to growth and development," Mr Dunne said.

Removing impediments to doing business is a core philosophy for United Future, he said.

"And this goes right across the board - from increasingly clearing a legislative path for private-public partnerships, to addressing issues in labour legislation, with a view to doing away with crippling compliance costs and burdensome regulatory regimes, to working on improving the RMA," he said.

"And business needs to have ears to hear these messages," Mr Dunne said.

"It needs to think a little laterally about where it parks its votes in an MMP environment where coalition politics are going to be an ongoing reality.

"United Future is going to have an important role to play in providing stable and progressive government to this country - and it is a party that recognises the role business plays and is committed to creating the environment for business to thrive."

ENDS

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