29 September 2009
Media Statement

National slyly reneges on another environmental commitment

National’s true environmental colours are revealed again as it quietly axes the New Zealand Energy and Conservation Strategy, Labour’s energy spokesperson Charles Chauvel said today.

“In the same week that Prime Minister John Key told the world his government leads a New Zealand committed to green values, it has been revealed that his Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee has formally axed an important strand of this country’s response to growing environmental problems,” Charles Chauvel said.

“This week's edition of the NZ Energy and Environment Business Week (published 23 September) reports that Mr Brownlee ‘quietly canned’ the two-year-old Strategy, which it describes as ‘the guiding document…for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’.

“It goes on to say that the ‘announcement was by public notice in August and without a press statement’.

"It is bad enough that National is systematically dismantling established strategies to help move New Zealand to a low-pollution economy,” Charles Chauvel said.

"But equally disturbing is the pattern of slippery behaviour that is emerging, in which National pulls all the levers at its disposal to keep the public in the dark about its decisions.

“Gerry Brownlee's axing of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy in late August without his office even issuing a statement is hardly an example of open government. What is he afraid of?

“Perhaps he thought no-one would notice that National now has no coordinated strategy in place to assist New Zealanders save energy and cut their bills, while minimising the impact on the environment. It demonstrates an appalling lack of leadership.

"It follows National’s behaviour over the secret deal with the Maori Party on the ETS amendments. The public still does not know the price extracted for Maori Party support of the amended scheme, because the Government will not release the cabinet papers, despite Labour's urgent request for them two weeks ago.

“Nor does the public know other details of the amended ETS scheme, despite criticism from the Treasury contained in the Bill's explanatory note about the way the bill pursues harmonisation with Australia,” Charles Chauvel said.

ENDS

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