The Republic of New Zealand Party

We welcome the decision to buy back Toll’s rail and ferry business; a decision consistent with both our Centrenomics platform and our National Assets Strategy, says Republican’s Transport Spokesman Bevan Berg.

“What concerns me is that the process may have been a reckless endeavour to coincide with an election year.  If a hastily entered into agreement unnecessarily burdens the taxpayer and successive administrations for the political expedience of Labours current election campaign, then this is a far greater scandal than the Pledge Card scandal, from last election.” 

“It is the other side of Labour’s two headed coin.  Not only do they spend tax payer’s money for re-election, but they also waste tax payer’s money for re-election,” adds Berg.

To put this in perspective for the average Kiwi, it is probably something like buying an ’as is where is car’, without knowing how much money it will take to fix it, and what you will have to go without, to get it on the road.  Mr Cullen of course, has the tax payer funding his dotted lines. 
  
This is an ideal time for the blood hounds of the media to be taking Mr Cullen to task about how informed this decision really is and what the real cost is. 

It is election year, isn’t it?

If this government has made an uninformed decision it will not only impact on the tax payer but it will also leave the transport sector in limbo, with directors not knowing in which direction they should be driving their companies.

The transport industry is a capital intensive sector, which cannot afford the uncertainty which is created when we have dilly dally decision making in government.  It hurts when high cost investments become a liability, and this in turn undermines the economic and development capacity of an industry sector which is expected to grow substantially over the next decade.      

Ends/.