1 November 2012

Glossy reports can’t hide economic failure

Yet another glossy report regurgitating old ideas won’t get New Zealand working again, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

The National Government today released another economic report listing existing activities, many of which began before it came to power and over a quarter of which are already complete. The report lists just two ‘new’ initiatives, both of which have previously been announced - investigating more uneconomic highway projects and studying oil and gas off the East Coast.

“The National Government is very good at producing endless glossy reports that are padded out and lacking in substance. But when it comes to creating jobs, National is a complete failure,” said Dr Norman.

“There is nothing new in this report, nothing that is going to end the crisis in manufacturing, nothing to reverse the 65,000 increase in the number of unemployed Kiwis under National, and nothing to end the exodus to Australia.

“What this report does show is that National’s vision remains limited to building more uneconomic highways and extracting more oil in risky deep-sea wells.

“It is a vision that has failed economically, failed environmentally, and failed to create jobs. For example, National’s infrastructure plan includes spending over half a billion dollars of taxpayer money on the Kapiti Expressway to gain just $120 million of benefits.

“Jobs intensive, sustainable infrastructure such as public transport, rail, and renewable electricity are an afterthought in the report.

“The National Government has kicked for touch on all the hard problems and the big ideas that would create sustainable jobs for Kiwis.

“After a year and a half of investigation, it hasn’t even made a decision on whether it supports a new ferry terminal at Clifford Bay and has pushed out the decision to some undetermined point in the future. This continued uncertainty is unfair to freight operators, exporters, and the people of Picton.

“Steven Joyce may be living up to his reputation as Minister for Glossy Publications but that is little comfort to Kiwis who want work and are looking to the Government for leadership,” said Dr Norman.

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