Transport Minister calls for policy consistency

  • Pete Hodgson
Climate Change Issues

Transport Minister Pete Hodgson says the National Party yesterday announced four different transport polices in one day.

At 7:55am yesterday, the National Party's Finance spokesman John Key on National Radio's Morning Report programme committed National to spending no more than $600 million on transport from the Crown Account over the next three years.

At 4:30pm yesterday National leader Don Brash, gave a speech to the Contractors Federation committing National to spending $1.8 billion more than Labour on transport over the next six years. Over three years, that would mean spending $1.835 billion on transport from the Crown Account: the equivalent of five cents off the 39 per cent tax rate.

As Brash was speaking, National's transport spokesman announced another version of the Party's policy. Maurice Williamson committed National to Labour's packages of $900 million for Auckland, $885 million for Wellington and the $150 million one for the Bay of Plenty that partly make up Labour's committed spending on transport from the Crown Account. But unlike Brash, Williamson refused to back the $500 million announced in July that Brash has counted in. Williamson's policy would cost $1.13 billion over three years from the Crown Account.

Then, after Williamson's statement went out Don Brash changed his mind and issued a retraction of his earlier statement; declaring that he'd meant to say that $1.8 billion would be in addition to everything announced by Labour by last month. Only one package has been announced since; $150 million for the Bay of Plenty, so this was a new promise to spend $3.685 billion over six years from the Crown Account.

"It’s the same old story with National -- transport chaos. Four polices announced in one day with a price tags ranging from $600 million to $1.835 billion from the Crown Account over the next three years," said Transport Minister Pete Hodgson.

"These are the people that want New Zealanders to trust them to run the country. I don't think they are competent enough to run a raffle."