Glossing over infrastructure issues

The Government has released another policy-free brochure, this time glossing over the major issues in infrastructure, says Labour’s Economic Development spokesperson David Cunliffe.

“Steven Joyce’s eight-month-old Business Growth Agenda is a joke in business circles where the glossy reports are noted for their policy-free PR spin.

“Like his four previous glossies, this is yet another swathe of re-announcements. Of the 67 supposed initiatives just two are new and they are mere evaluations. There are 18 completed projects, 23 ‘in progress’ and 23 ‘implementing’. There’s nothing here we haven’t heard before.

“Despite the glossy rhetoric the capital allowance from 2010/11 – 2012/13 is 45 per cent less than National’s election promises of 2008.

“I welcome the attempt to integrate infrastructure into a coherent format but the document falls far short of that reality. The Business Growth Agenda is a let down to business and has clear flaws.

“The evaluation of four new Roads of National Significance risks wasting billions of dollars. The project should be halted until a review of the roads’ cost-benefit analysis, illustrated clearly by the problems with the Kapiti expressway.

“There’s too much smoke and mirrors in this report. The re-announcement of rail investment can’t hide the fact that the plan is all about more roads, petro-chemicals, petroleum and mining, instead of smart growth that is the next chapter of economic development.

“If the Government spent more time on a high value growth strategy and less time re-announcing old ideas, New Zealand would be much better off.

“Even his PR strategy is failing as the media have blithely ignored his reports.

“In the last eight months, businesses have shut their doors, thousands of jobs have been lost and manufacturing has sunk into crisis. New Zealand needs a real growth agenda, not a failed communications plan.”