John Carter MP National Party Defence Spokesman
11 September 2005
Labour should reveal details of air force deal
National Party Defence spokesman John Carter says if the Prime Minister signs-off on a deal to sell the air force's
strike-wing on Monday, she must make all the papers public.
"This is a significant transaction, negotiated in secret in the lead-up to a tight general election.
"While National may not necessarily disagree with the terms of the agreement, we would expect that in the interests of
transparency Labour would want to keep us informed," says Mr Carter.
"Since Labour grounded the strike-wing without any real exit plan, they have been costing the taxpayer more than
$300,000 a month in storage and maintenance. There's also a hefty sales consultants' fee to add to that.
"Obviously National is eager to make sure the taxpayer is not being taken for a ride," says Mr Carter.
ENDS