Phil
GOFF
Labour Leader
15 October 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT
Govt had three years to get oil act together
National has known for three years about a recommendation that would have seen proper rules around financial
responsibility for tragedies such as the Rena oil spill but chose to do nothing, says Labour Leader Phil Goff.
“The Transport and Industrial select committee reported in late 2008 that the Convention on Limitation of Liability for
Maritime Claims should be passed into legislation.
This would have more than doubled the $12 million liability in the case of the Rena and provided funding to compensate
businesses and property owners adversely affected.
“A briefing to the incoming minister in 2008 noted that the Ministry was preparing to introduce legislation to update
the Maritime Transport Act. Three years later nothing has been done.
“Adoption of the Bunker Convention would have ensured liability around insurance was clear and made it easier to claim
for economic loss and clean up costs incurred in situations such as the one we are dealing with now.
“It would have allowed for more adequate, prompt and effective compensation,” Phil Goff said.
“In the case of the Rena it would have doubled the current$12 million amount and made it e
“Third parties who suffer economic loss because of a spill of bunker oil would have had a simpler and more certain
remedy available.
“The failure of the Government to pick up the recommendations is a sorry precursor to its failure to ensure a more rapid
response following the grounding of the Rena.
“ It comes on top of insufficient funding of the oil pollution fund and strong criticism of its decision not to properly
fund Maritime New Zealand.
“Taken together this represents poor governance and shows massive short comings on the part of the Government.
“A Labour Government would, as a matter of urgency, adopt the Bunker Oil Convention, review the funding of Maritime New
Zealand and the oil preparedness fund and initiate an inquiry into the failure to remove oil more quickly from the Rena,
Phil Goff said.