13 July 2005

Immigration Programme Targets Missed Badly: Peters

New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters said today that despite a change in Minister and several policy changes over the past six years, this government clearly has no idea what this country needs out of its immigration programme.

His comments follow today’s announcement by Immigration Minister, Paul Swain that the government has met it’s immigration programme objectives for the 2004/05 year.

“For every three people who migrate here to contribute under the ‘skilled’ category, there are two coming in who have little or no prospects of gaining employment and are destined to be a drain on the economy,” said Mr Peters.

“These numbers indicate a continuation of this government’s policy of mass immigration. We accept more than half the number of migrants accepted by Australia which has a population seven times larger than New Zealand.

“High immigration numbers are continuing to be used to beef up consumption and hide the true tale of a failing economy lacking any real stewardship.

“This Government has been claiming that its immigration policy is the answer to this country’s skills shortage, but here we are six years down the track facing a skills shortage worse than ever before.

“Nowhere else in the Western world would you find such a flawed policy in action,” concluded Mr Peters.

ENDS

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