Ms Murray says the smelter came to New Zealand because Manapouri power station was virtually built for them, and they have been given cheap electricity ever since that is subsidized by ordinary people.

“How cheap remains a secret, but some estimates indicate that in the latest deal the rate per unit could be as little as a quarter of what the average domestic household pays.”

Given that its supplier is state owned Meridian Energy, this is a huge tax payer subsidy, says Ms Murray.

“It gets even bigger if we add on the cost of building new power plants to supply power for the rest of the country to make up for the 15% of our power that the smelter uses.”

People must realize that Rio Tinto doesn’t care about New Zealanders or our environment. Its first priority is by its own admission, “to create substantial future value for shareholders”.

Rio Tinto increased its shareholder dividend by 31% in 2007 and its annual report indicates a commitment to increase shareholders dividends by at least 20% again in 2008.

Ms Murray says it would have left town years ago if it could get electricity any cheaper anywhere else.

“It could leave tomorrow anyway, if savings in other overheads, such as labour costs, in another country outweighed the benefits of our cheap electricity.”

Ms Murray says the Alliance acknowledges that there are advantages for Invercargill in having the smelter.

“But, it is worth remembering that Invercargill existed before the smelter arrived and it has been through bad times even with the smelter in full production, especially prior to the recent dairy boom. Southlanders have a reputation for resourceful and innovative.”

Ms Murray says the Government should provide incentives for Invercargill to develop a wide range of sustainable industries.

“It should not be reliant on a single overseas company which could pack up and leave at any time.”

Ms Murray says New Zealand cannot continue to allow large foreign owned organizations to dictate what we can and can’t do in our own country.

“Frankly it is offensive that this organization will fly its chief executives all over the world to heavy any nation that dares to put the common good and future generations before the short-term interests of a privileged minority of shareholders.”

She says Rio Tinto should focus its energies on reducing its harmful emissions and making its plant more energy efficient to reduce its financial liabilities under the emissions trading scheme.

Jack has written about the new logo on his blog.

Alliance Party transport spokesperson Bob van Ruyssevelt says he supports the call by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright, for the government to scrap the current Biofuels Bill.

“This legislation would mean importing of biofuels from countries where farmers are cutting down scarce rainforests, or converting land from food to fuel production, which is denying cheap food to the world’s poor.”

He says in the short term the small amounts of New Zealand-made biofuels should be used by big fleet users in the public transport sector.

Mr van Ruyssevelt says this would avoid the need for the unnecessary expenditure on infrastructure involved in requiring all service stations to offer such products.

He says the Alliance Party supports massive investment towards public transport, including road, rail and shipping, to reduce environmental problems and to improve the access of all New Zealanders to affordable transport.

Alliance Energy Spokeperson Ian Tinkler says the removal of democracy from the electricity sector in the last 10 years has resulted in huge price increases.

“Why should ordinary New Zealanders freeze while electricity corporates make huge profits?”

Mr Tinkler says that before the destructive changes in the electricity sector in 1998, most people received their electricity from community or local authority owned power boards.

“These boards were connected to domestic user of electricity and were answerable through the ballot box – the governance representatives were accountable to the people.”

In 1998 the National Government forced through unpopular legislation that divorced electricity supply utilities from the communities they provide electricity to.

“This divorce has resulted in a electricity retail companies like majority Australian-owned Contact Energy making huge profits for their shareholders. Companies like Infratil-controlled TrustPower have no regard for the interests of the ordinary New Zealanders who struggle with the higher prices of electricity.”

Mr Tinkler says the Labour Government has sat on its hands while taking large dividends from Meridian Energy and other State Owned Enterprises.

“They are shown a huge lack of caring towards Kiwis.”

He says that Meridian sell discounted electricity to the overseas owned Aluminium smelter in Bluff with Rio Tinto’s shareholders benefiting while New Zealanders go without.

Mr Tinkler says electricity has been stolen from the ordinary Kiwi, so rich corporations the world over can make profits.

He says the Alliance wants to return electricity in New Zealand to a fully public and community controlled system that was accountable to consumers with a goal of affordable electricity for all.

Alliance Party co-leader Kay Murray says “GST on food will have to go now if basic food items are to remain affordable for New Zealanders.”

Ms Murray says that figures from the Council of Trade Unions show food prices rose 6% in the past year and are set to continue to rise this year.

“Removing GST would at least allow some breathing space while other long term measures are put in place to keep food affordable. Australia doesn’t have GST on basic food items. If the Australians can manage it surely we can too.”

Ms Murray says the Alliance has always opposed GST and has long advocated replacing it with a progressive tax system.

“The Alliance would replace GST with a Financial Transaction Tax charged on bank withdrawals at a rate of 2 cents per $100. This would significantly reduce costs for low and middle income earners. For example a family who spent $200 on food would pay only 4 cents Financial Transaction Tax when the money was withdrawn from their bank account whereas at the moment they would pay an extra $25 in GST. ”

The Alliance says this is a much fairer way of obtaining revenue, says Ms Murray.

“It is also a much more straightforward system of collection. The financial institutions would collect the tax when a withdrawal is made rather than businesses having to add it on to the cost of each item for sale.”

For further information, contact Alliance Party co-leader Kay Murray on 0211672843

“What is surprising is that more principals haven’t been speaking up, calling for increased funding.”

Mr Wallis says the Alliance has been consistent in its call for an increase in funding for the education sector.

“Some state schools are charging fees of more than $700 a year and the revelation that Government contributions only cover half of state school operating costs means that schools are forced to turn to parents, teachers and the local community to make up the shortfall.”

Being reliant on donations from the local community to fund the public education system can only lead to disaster, he says.

“Community funding may be all well and good for those families with a large disposable income, but what of the majority of New Zealanders who struggle to put aside money to pay the bills, let alone pay twice for their children’s education.”

Mr Wallis says he hopes that more principals will go public because the funding of schools is a serious issue and students should not be disadvantaged because of any fiscal policy.

The Alliance in government would ensure fully funded schools where boards of trustees would not have to plan to run at a deficit.

“Schools would receive adequate funding under an Alliance government. Alliance policy is to ensure that all schools receive the funding they require to make the free education that is enshrined in law an actual reality.”

For further information, contact Alliance Party education spokesperson Richard Wallis on 02102723645

Alliance spokesperson Victor Billot says the basic infrastructure of New Zealand including electricity must remain not just in New Zealand hands, but in the full ownership and control of the people of New Zealand, to be managed for the public good.

Mr Billot says the buyup is linked directly to investment giant Hutchison Whampoa, which failed in a bid to gain a controlling interest in the Port of Lyttelton in 2006.

“These predatory multinationals have no interest in the future of New Zealand except whatever profit they can extract, as the debacle with the railways privatization showed in the 1990s. If the people do not own and control the vital infrastructure of our nation, we have become tenants in our own land.”

Mr Billot says the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust is the major shareholder in Vector, and the trust is reneging on a commitment to ensure ownership of major infrastructure is in New Zealand control and benefits are returned locally.

In the AECT June 2007 newsletter, trustee and Deputy Chairman Michael Buczkowski said the acquisition of UnitedNetworks by Vector from the then American owners repatriated very large assets back to New Zealand ownership.

The newsletter outlined the trust’s responsibility to protect its beneficiaries long term interests.

“Obviously that responsibility has been cast aside.”

Mr Billot says the situation has a straightforward solution.

“Electricity and energy infrastructure should be owned by the people of New Zealand, and managed for the public good to supply affordable power to New Zealand people. The amount of money saved on financial wheeling and dealing alone would keep a few heaters burning this winter.”

The Alliance opposes any private involvement in electricity in New Zealand, and supports public and community ownership.

ENDS

For more information, contact Alliance Party spokesperson Victor Billot on 021482219

The Alliance party energy policy can be downloaded at http://www.alliance.org.nz

Alliance Party spokesperson Victor Billot says the public health service is at risk from underfunding, and the doctor’s strike was a wake up call.

“These are responsible, caring professionals who provide a great service, and we should support them.”

Mr Billot says the Labour Government’s refusal to get involved is an insult to generations of New Zealanders who have voted to have a fully-funded quality public hospital system which is free for the public.

He says our public hospitals are being forced into having a temporary workforce because of a lack of funding from the government.

“We need to decide what we value, and instead of obsessing about tax cuts, we should invest more in a world class public health system.”

Mr Billot says it is obvious under Labour and National that New Zealand has continued to drift towards user pays, with more and more people going towards the private sector for health care, thereby threatening the long term quality and future of public health.

“Student debt is now at $10 billion – how are our junior doctors supposed to pay back their enormous student loans on $23 an hour?,” says Mr Billot.

“We need our hospitals with trained New Zealand doctors, and to achieve that an Alliance government will fully-fund the public health system, and its workforce. We will make education free so people can gain professional skills and not have to worry about a huge debt over the head.”

Mr Bllot said our public health system is being run down to prop up the private sector at the expense of everyday working people.

ENDS

For further details contact Alliance Party spokesperson Victor Billot on mobile 021482219.

Alliance Party spokesperson Victor Billot says the Department of Labour have taken the unusual step of publicly correcting Air New Zealand.

A Department of Labour media release has corrected an “assertion” by Air New Zealand that the Department had found Chinese employment law applied in the case of their Chinese-based air crew.

The Department of Labour says it only “appears” Chinese law applies to the employment of this crew – and has told Labour Minister Trevor Mallard that the department cannot definitively determine what employment law applies in a particular factual situation, particularly outside New Zealand.

Mr Billot says this statement has the sound of people covering their backsides, and it was obvious that no-one knew whether the practices of Air New Zealand were illegal, immoral or both.

“We now have a situation where a Government Department is engaged in a public argument with a leading New Zealand business that is largely owned by the people of New Zealand.”

He says what makes the situation so disturbing is it was just the beginning of what would happen under free trade deals with the use of cross-border labour, but the Government and its agencies didn’t have a handle on the situation.

Mr Billot says that there are two key issues.

“Firstly, it shows that New Zealand employment law in this area is incredibly lax and anti-worker, and has enormous implications for the use of overseas labour in New Zealand businesses to undermine wages and conditions. The fact that Mr Mallard was trying to defend Air New Zealand shows the Labour Government has forgotten its commitment to workers.”

“Secondly, it shows that Air New Zealand is so out of touch with public perception, it was going to trumpet the Department of Labour report as some kind of vindication of their shabby practices - and hasn’t even managed to check with the Department of Labour that it knew what it was talking about.”

Mr Billot says he wonders who is in charge of Air New Zealand’s public relations and legal advice, as even from a self-interest point of view, they were doing themselves no favours.

“They obviously haven’t figured out the distinction that just because something is legal, doesn’t mean it is right.”

The Alliance says Air New Zealand should be put under public control with the proper and correct treatment of its staff, no matter where they came from.