INDEPENDENT NEWS

National Party policy today declared war on rail

Published: Mon 26 Aug 2019 04:00 PM
The National Party today in Auckland committed to (what we describe as) an ‘environmental bonfire’ by vowing to scrap the new labour/NZ First policy of equal funding between rail and road projects, and spend only big public money on roads.
The RNZ report said; Quote; The coalition government shifted transport infrastructure focus from roading to public transport and rail, but National would be changing the focus back to roading, it said.
Quote; “The National Party plans to scrap 100 regulations and a number of the current government's policies if voted into power next year.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/397494/national-committing-to-regulations-bonfire-if-elected-in-2020
All this ‘war on rail’ is hardly new news as Simon Bridges has always been an ally to oil companies, and has never shown any environmental considerations or any commitment to rail, and always followed closely followed his hero “The tarmac King Steven Joyce.” For roads, roads, and yet more roads.
By wanting to spend most of the public taxpayers money exclusively on roads, means Simon Bridges wants the public to subsidise roads for mostly the benefit of the freight truck industry.
He shows no interested in any future for regional rail freight and passenger services, and this will cause massive truck gridlock on our dangerous roads and increased Greenhouse Emissions that will cost NZ big in carbon credit penalties, while foolishly National are allowing rail to die.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/397494/national-committing-to-regulations-bonfire-if-elected-in-2020
National committing to 'regulations bonfire' if elected in 2020
•At an event in Auckland today the opposition party released a discussion document on its economic policies coming into an election year.
•National is committing to get rid of two regulations for every new regulation introduced, Māori land reform and creating a voluntary initiative to make sure small businesses are paid on time.
•Within its first six months in office, the party was also promising to repeal 100 regulations.
•National's Economic Development spokesperson, Todd McClay, branded it a regulations bonfire.
•"We want an operating environment where businesses can thrive and aren't strangled by red tape," he said.
•The party is seeking feedback on removing the government's ability to give preferential pay agreements to union members during public sector wage negotiations and removing all remaining tariffs.
•They're also sticking to previous promises of repealing the regional fuel tax and the ban on oil and gas exploration, overhauling the Resource Management Act and raising the retirement age to 67 from 2037.
CEAC is now calling on the National Party policy directors to ‘rethink their lack of considerations for lowering our Greenhouse emissions’ and join with the Government to reduce the road traffic greenhouse emissions by balancing the freight and passenger services equally between rail and road for lowering our climate change emissions.

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