Headline: Manufacturing Inquiry shows there is an alternative
Since 2008, 40,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost and the losses continue today. Our international debt is piling up to dangerous levels as we try to export more and more low-value commodities while becoming ever more dependent on imports for modern, hi-tech goods.
The report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Manufacturing shows that there is a clear alternative to the failed economic policies of the National Government, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.
“This is a historic event. For the first time, we have half the parties in Parliament signing up to an alternative economic vision for New Zealand,” said Dr Norman.
“New Zealand has endured quarter of a century of neoliberal economics that have led to high unemployment, low wages, and increasing international debt. They threw manufacturing on the trash heap.
“Since 2008, 40,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost and the losses continue today. Our international debt is piling up to dangerous levels as we try to export more and more low-value commodities while becoming ever more dependent on imports for modern, hi-tech goods.
“Today, we are presenting the alternative. We believe that smart, green manufacturing is the future for New Zealand. It will allow us to be prosperous without destroying our environment. It will create well-paying jobs. It will improve our trade balance so that we don’t have to borrow so much from abroad and sell our asset into overseas ownership.
“The recommendations that the Inquiry is putting forward is a set of sensible, proven policies that will allow our manufacturers to compete on a level playing field with foreign companies, reduce excessive costs that impede business, boost innovation, and ensure that manufacturers and workers have the support that they deserve from government both in good times and in bad.
By unleashing smart, modern manufacturing, we can create real wealth, rather than trying to extract more and more from our over-taxed environment.
“I want to thank the submitters, our Independent Chair Cam Moore, and Professor Nigel Haworth who assisted with the report. Your contributions have helped the parties develop a clear vision for New Zealand’s economy that is an alternative to National’s path of job losses, low wages, high debt, and environmental degradation,” said Dr Norman.
—
