The Government's actions over the sustainable management of West Coast indigenous forests show they are two faced about
the good faith bargaining proposals in the Employment Relations Bill, says National's Conservation spokesman Eric Roy.
Opposition Leader Jenny Shipley and National MPs accepted a petition today from Coast Action Network that calls for a
full select committee inquiry into the Government's indigenous forest policies.
"The Labour-Alliance Government refused to allow the Environment Court to process the consent; they have refused to
allow a select committee inquiry; the Prime Minister continues to refuse to visit the Coast; and the West Coast's own MP
refused to accept this petition. This does not sound like 'good faith' to me.
"The Prime Minister's insults about West Coasters such as 'feral' and 'in-bred', and the public disagreements between
Labour and the Green Party, such as Dr Cullen's 'Mugabe-like' blunders, only re-iterate the internal problems which
Labour, the Alliance and the Greens are having with this issue.
"The Government has tried to force the West Coast Mayors into accepting the $120 million payout by adopting a 'take it
or leave it' attitude, but when the Mayors refused to 'roll over' they extended the time limit. It is lucky the Mayors
didn't take the advice of their MP to accept the original $100 million deal," Mr Roy said.
Ends