Gerry Brownlee MP
National Party Energy Spokesman

22 October 2008

$3.5 million PR campaign on light-bulb ban

National Party Energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee says Kiwi bill payers will be stunned to learn that the Electricity Commission is planning to spend up to $3.5 million in the next year promoting energy efficient light bulbs.

“Labour’s priorities are so warped in these tougher times that Helen Clark plans to spend more than $3 million telling New Zealanders what light bulb to install.”

Mr Brownlee is commenting after the release of a 54-page Request for Proposal (RFP) document issued by the commission, which states its purpose is ‘to select one or more parties whom the Electricity Commission may engage to promote the uptake of efficient lighting technologies’.

The proposal says the key areas of action are eliminating inefficient incandescent and halogen lighting.

This latest initiative comes in the wake of plans to regulate shower flow rates and place restrictions on the size of household hot water cylinders.

“Labour clearly hasn’t listened to the public outcry over the light-bulb ban, but to add insult to injury they’re going to spend $3.5 million telling New Zealanders all about it.

“All New Zealanders pay for the Electricity Commission’s work. I think they’ll be unhappy to learn that in these tough economic times they’ll be paying the government to boss them around even more and tell them what sort of light bulbs to use.

"New Zealanders don’t need yet another expensive PR campaign from a government agency in these tough times. What they need is a government focused on the things that matter."

Mr Brownlee says it’s very clear what a vote for Labour in the upcoming election means.

"It’s a vote for a nanny-state government spending your taxes to tell you what light bulbs to use, how much water can flow through your shower head, and how much hot water you can use.”

Mr Brownlee says National will overturn the ban on conventional light bulbs.

ENDS

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