HON MURRAY McCULLY
MINISTER FOR ACCIDENT REHABILITATION AND COMPENSATION INSURANCE
MEDIA STATEMENT
16 July 1999
Too Many Amateurs With Amnesia Reading Polls
ACC Minister Murray McCully has sharply criticised media coverage of public opinion polls. Speaking to a Nelson business
breakfast this morning, Mr McCully said that many political commentators reading a likely change of Government into
current opinion polls are showing themselves to be "amateurs with very short memories".
"The last 'change' election was in 1990, when Labour lost office. A check of the TV1 Heylen polls for that year is
revealing. The average gap between National and Labour for TV1 polls during 1990 was 24.3%.
"That is somewhat different from 1999. The Colmar Brunton TV1 polls this year have shown an average gap of 2.6%.
"Whether it is amateurism, amnesia, or too many left-wing journalists indulging their fantasies, it is about time we saw
the situation in perspective.
"The only sensible reading of the polls is that the race is still very open", said Mr McCully.
ENDS