Damien O'Connor Should Resign!

Associate Minister for Food and Fibre, Hon David Carter, today slammed West Coast MP Damien O'Connor's admission this week that the West Coast should accept "the best deal it could as a trade-off", instead of fighting to save the Coast's access to sustainable forestry.

"Mr O'Connor has basically given up on his people and said to West Coasters accept the inevitable; Labour would shut down West Coast sustainable forestry operations."

"This man is a wimp. He doesn't deserve to represent West Coasters if he can't fight for their interests. He should resign immediately."

Mr Carter was commenting on statements Mr O'Connor made this week, following the Labour Party conference last weekend which passed three remits calling for the end of indigenous forestry logging on the West Coast.

"Mr O'Connor claims that the remits will not become Government policy without "an absolute guarantee of significant compensation and trade-off". Let him tell the Coast how he will replace the jobs that this decision will destroy."

"Labour, and Helen Clark as a member of Cabinet at the time, signed up the West Coast Accord which was already a trade-off for West Coasters. The people of the West Coast gave up access to their forests, in return for the Labour Party's promise of access to sustainably produced timber in perpetuity."

"Now they want to destroy the Accord."

"Even local Labour Party members have been reported as saying that Labour is dumping its founding home, chasing a few Auckland votes instead."

"Damien O'Connor should quickly decide whether he was elected to represent the West Coast or Auckland interests."