David
Shearer
Labour Leader

5 September 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT
One-eyed economic agenda failing the people

News that the country’s biggest electricity user is fast-tracking its plans to downsize and slash jobs yet again highlights just how narrowly-focused the Government’s ‘growth’ plan is, says Labour Leader David Shearer.

“When you have a flagging economy people’s top concern is jobs. But National is so consumed by its obsession with its assets sales plan and the chaos surrounding it that it’s taking its eye off what is most important.

“National promised to help create 170,000 jobs. Yet every day more and more Kiwis are losing theirs.

“Just yesterday we saw hundreds of miners and their families marching in the streets against job cuts at Solid Energy, along with Goodman Fielder - the company that makes Vogel’s bread - announcing it planned to close a number of its New Zealand factories.

“Today another 100 workers at Tiwai Point have been told they are about to lose their jobs.

“John Key’s so-called magic bullet for economic recovery – selling off our assets – has been National’s focus for the entire time it has been in Government.

“While that’s been on the agenda – and what a debacle that process has become - the job market has gone belly up and the country has undergone less growth than at any other time in the last 50 years.

“Having a one-eyed agenda doesn’t fit with responsible government. Nor should a responsible government fail to notice what is happening directly under its nose.

“To do so is failing the people,” said David Shearer.

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