Sham consultation leaves taxpayer exposed
National has gone through the pretence of consultation over asset sales and water rights but has done nothing to fix what will be an enormously costly issue if asset sales proceed, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.
"National's cavalier attitude is putting millions of dollars of taxpayer money at risk," said Dr Norman.
"Asset sales have never made economic sense, but pushing ahead with sales when the issue of water rights is in dispute is completely reckless.
"No sensible investor is going to put their money into an electricity company when its water rights are up in the air. If National goes ahead with asset sales under these conditions, it will mean lower sales revenue and expensive court cases for years to come.
"National has already spent over $16 million on asset sales. That's just the tip of the iceberg: the Government has budgeted $96 million more to spend on the sales, additional to which are huge unbudgeted costs for the share giveaway and settlements with iwi, as well as the $100 million a year that asset sales would add to the deficit due to the net loss of profits.
"While National is distracted with its expensive, crisis-ridden asset sales agenda, New Zealanders are experiencing real economic pain due to the crisis in manufacturing, the decline in tourism revenue, and growing pessimism in the outlook for farming.
"It's not too late for National to listen to the vast majority of New Zealanders and stop its asset sales programme.
"New Zealanders deserve a government that is focused on the real economic issues, not an ideologically-driven privatisation agenda," said Dr Norman.
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