9 February 2009 Media Statement

Hughes, Jones say National can bring forward a wide range of infrastructure projects

The Government infrastructure programme being announced today should include roading, rail, sewerage, school property upgrade and state house construction and retrofitting projects that can begin quickly, say Labour’s transport and infrastructure and local government spokespersons.

Transport spokesperson Darren Hughes says it is crucial that the Government’s programme sends a signal that National is committed to creating and retaining jobs across all regions. “The Government needs to invest in our communities right around the country, working alongside local authorities where appropriate.”

Infrastructure and local government spokesperson Shane Jones says that in the weeks before the November election, as the scale of the global economic down turn became apparent, “Labour moved quickly to put together an economic stimulus package involving a wide range of infrastructure projects that could be brought forward with a minimum of difficulty.”

Darren Hughes and Shane Jones said that while Labour did not have time to make formal announcements about some of the projects that would have been included in its stimulus package, “many of them were made public before the election, and officials were drawing up a long list of roading, cycling, walking and public transport projects designed to help our economy weather the recession.

“Labour was committed to signing off a broad package of initiatives in December. All the information and advice Labour received is also available to the National Government, of course, and we can see no reason the Government should not proceed with the vast majority of individual projects.

“These projects have nothing to do with political ideology,” Darren Hughes and Shane Jones said. “They do have everything to do, however, with the health of our economy and recognising how important jobs are to New Zealanders.”

Darren Hughes and Shane Jones said Labour assumed that National’s infrastructure announcement would reinstate Labour’s $1 billion home retrofitting fund and acknowledge that it had been in error ditching it, but apart from this big ticket item the wide range of projects that could well have been on Labour’s list included:

• Replacement school buildings ranging from almost $4 million at Papatoetoe High School to $205,000 at Kaitangata School.

• Sanitary works subsidy schemes ranging from $8.95 million at Whangarei Heads to $1 million at Dannevirke.

• A range of local roading, cycling, footpath and bridge projects ranging from $30 million for road maintenance and renewal activity around the country to smaller initiatives like widening bridges to allow walking and cycling and initiating funding for footpath renewals. “Many of these projects would have involved enhanced financial assistance for local authorities.”

• A number of rail projects, including the North-South container project between Palmerston North and Wellington, the Marsden Point branch line, working with the Ports of Auckland to connect the Wiri inland port complex to the rail network, and working with Fonterra to provide better rail connection to the Clandeboye factory.

• A range of forestry projects, in Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Northland, Manawatu and other regions, to address soil erosion.

• Bringing forward state house construction and retrofitting ahead of the four-year programme announced in last year’s Budget.

Darren Hughes and Shane Jones said; “All these projects are job-rich and are designed for the long-term benefit of New Zealand. They have the advantage of being available to begin quickly.

“We are sure National’s infrastructure programme being announced today will include detailed announcements on many of these individual initiatives. It will be extremely disappointing and an affront to common sense if National’s announcement fails to recognise the merit of the work Labour had underway.”

ENDS

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