Where has Berl been these past 3.5 years?

Where has Berl been these past three and a half years while the country has had a center-left coalition which has put in place a more rational monetary policy framework and started the huge job of rebuilding the infrastructure of New Zealand which had been neglected over the previous decade, Progressive Deputy Leader, Matt Robson, said today.

Business & Economic Research Ltd. said in its June 2003 report today that what this country needs is increased investment in the infrastructure of the economy to better secure future economic and social prosperity.

It called for a more rational monetary policy framework than existed in the 1990s when Don Brash was central bank governor and Bill Enlgish was the finance minister.

And it also called for policies to encourage talented new New Zealanders to come to our shores.

"BERL's comments are a useful reminder of exactly why the people of New Zealand elected a center-left coalition government three and a half years ago which is delivering on all these fronts.

"Over the course of this century there will be very aggressive competition for talented and skilled English-speaking working-age people, and this coalition has been supportive of encouraging talented new New Zealanders to our shores.

"The coalition changed the riding instructions of the Reserve Bank to make it take a longer-term view to securing the macroeconomic health of the economy rather than focusing on a rigid and very narrow 0-2% annual inflation target each and every year, which was the case under National.

"The coalition invested in Air New Zealand when the market policies of National failed to deliver and has indicated its willingness to meet its responsibilities to invest in rail should the market fail to deliver on that front.

"State Owned Enterprise Transpower has pledged $1 billion investment in the national grid, Meridian is proposing a $1.2 billion hydro scheme on the Waitaki and NZ Post is building up Kiwibank. The coalition has invested in Auckland rail, and is committed to encouraging significant investment in Auckland's integrated transport needs.

"This coalition government has taken many steps to improve our economy and society through economic, industry and regional development policies, emphasizing jobs and training, stable fiscal management and a willingness to address critical and difficult issues.

"That Berl's comments are less than a serious commentary can be shown by their welcome by National's finance spokesperson, Don Brash.

"Berl castigages the center-left coalition for doing having spent the past three and a half years implementing the vision that Berl says it supports and which Dr. Brash is totally opposed to," Matt Robson said.

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