M.P. says National broke its promises

Press, 12 June 1984, Page 5

M.P. says National broke its promises

National had not fulfilled its promises of ploughing about $4OO million into South Island regions as an alternative to developing Rolleston, said the member of Parliament for the West Coast, Mr Kerry Burke, last evening.

Mr Burke told about 80 people at a public meeting organised by the Labour Party in Sydenham that Labour had seen benefits for all of the South Island if Rolleston was established.

National had played on anti-Christchurch feelings in the rest of the South Island by offering each of the regions incentives and assistance, using money that would have come from the development of Rolleston. Since then it had not kept to its promises, said Mr Burke, who spoke on “Why the South Island needs a Labour government.” Mr Burke said Labour’s emphasis on tourism would boost overseas earnings and promote job opportunities. Roads would have to be built to open up areas presently inaccessible to tourists.

Mr Burke attacked the Government’s system of

public hospital funding. The Government had started from the wrong end. basing funding on population, instead of finding out first what service was needed in each area, then assessing the needs of the community and budgeting for them, he said. The Labour candidate for Sydenham, Mr Jim Anderton, vigorously attacked the Government, accusing it of using the Marsden Point dispute for political gain, not doing enough about unemployment, and running down health and housing services. Mr Anderton said he and his electorate campaigners had now canvassed more than half of the Sydenham electorate, door to door.

“That's probably something that hasn’t happened since the days of Norman Kirk,” he said.