ACT Deputy Leader John Boscawen was today appalled that the National Government refuses to even consider ACT’s mining proposal – despite this being one of the best options we have available for improving the dire state of the national economy.
“In Parliament today, in response to my Oral Question, Finance Minister Bill English ruled out prospecting land listed in Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act,” Mr Boscawen said.
“The Government currently lives beyond its means – borrowing $300 million a week and preparing to borrow more in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake. The economy is already on its knees, and Mr English has just announced that it will take an extra year for the Crown accounts to return to surplus.
“This situation cannot be allowed to continue. We need to get the economy back on its feet as quickly as possible and, to do so, must consider every option we have available to us.
“New Zealand currently has around $80 billion in mineral resources sitting beneath Schedule 4 land. At the very least, we should be prospecting this land to ascertain whether or not mining these resources would generate enough jobs and revenue to help turn the economy around and rebuild Christchurch.
“This shows why we need ACT. Mining is an obvious solution to our economic woes but National’s too timid to allow it,” Mr Boscawen said.
Tags: Economy