National prefers to see people stay on dole - Mallard
National can not be trusted with getting the facts right, Economic Development Minister Trevor Mallard said today in
response to claims from National's Katherine Rich.
"Mrs Rich seems to be using a John Key approach to the truth. It may be deliberate or just ignorance. The goverment's
only grant to Jack Links was $50,000 for a feasibility study - a far cry from the $550,000 she is falsely claiming went
to this company. This just confirms that anything National says should not be trusted as being factually correct,"
Trevor Mallard said.
"The Jack Links plant has been operating for three years and although this latest development is regrettable, there has
to date been a $12 million capital investment in the plant, technology and expertise transfers, export earnings and
employment and training for people who were previously unemployed.
"Katherine Rich and the National party clearly would have preferred that those unemployed people had stayed on the dole
instead of being trained, and taking up the jobs that have been provided by Jack Links over the last three years,"
Trevor Mallard said.