What the M.P.s were saying Govt 'deliberately misled' people

Press, 25 February 1985, Page 2

What the M.P.s were saying Govt 'deliberately misled' people

Parliamentary reporter Rising costs were affecting rates and hurting ratepayers, said Mr Jim Gerard (Nat., Rangiora). Labour had gone to the people last year promising a better economic performance — had Labour said that this support would mean an increase in rates of up to 50 per cent people would not have supported them. The Government had deliberately misled the people because it had known its policies would escalate rates, Mr Gerard said. This was proof that the Government’s economic policies were not working and that inflation was running out of control. ‘Not a damn’ For almost nine years the National Government had “not given a damn” about the continual increases in costs, and criticism by National of recent cost increases was simply impudence, said Mrs Mary Batchelor (Lab., Avon). In those years Sir Robert Muldoon had presided over inflation of a staggering 183 per cent.

During that time, Mrs Batchelor said, milk had gone up in price 605 per cent, bread 315 per cent, flour 320 per cent, eggs 125 per cent, and even the cost of a reel of sewing thread had gone up 207 per cent. Difficulties It was not the Government’s stand on nuclear weapons that had been causing the difficulties with the European Economic Community’s common agricultural policy, as National had been suggesting, said Mr Ken Shirley (Lab., Tasman). Those difficulties had been brewing for many years and were now coming to a head. New Zealand was now being marketed as a clean, pollution-free, nuclear-free producer of primary products, he said. Americans were lining up to buy New Zealand goods because of the Government’s stance on the nuclear issue. Fishing policies No argument was being made about the need to

reduce the catch of stressed fish species, said Mr Douglas Kidd (Nat., Marlborough), but in doing so there was a danger that too many fishermen could be lost to the industry. He asked the Government what level of acceptance there had been at meetings held throughout New Zealand to discuss fishing policies. If the percentage reductions proposed had applied to landings in 1983, ony half the 1983 tonnage would have been landed, he said. Nuclear issue The nuclear issue was an instance where the National Opposition’s policy had succeeded in influencing more people to support the Labour Government than had before, said Mr Jim Anderton (Lab., Sydenham). New Zealand could not keep its economic trading heart by selling its political soul as a client of any country, he said. New Zealanders found nuclear weaponry an affront to civilised values and would not sell their souls for any economic prize.