Free Trade Agreement as Big a Blow as Britain joining the EC

Thursday 14 Nov 2002 Richard Prebble Press Releases -- Foreign Affairs & Defence (

ACT leader Richard Prebble said The Knowledge Wave Trust on 8 October put out six proposals to enable NZ to return to the top half of the OECD.

"The Trust stated `United States an FTA with the US is a clear priority. The impact of Australian succeeding in securing an FTA without NZ will be of similar impact to the UK entering the European Union in 1973.'

"Britain's entry into the EC has been the most serious economic blow that NZ has ever suffered and in some ways we have never recovered. For a leading "Think Tank" to claim that an Australian /US Free Trade Agreement will have similar impact dramatically outlines what a huge foreign policy defeat the country has suffered," said Mr Prebble.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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