Petition aims to stop sale of public assets

April 30th, 2012

West Coast - Tasman MP Damien O'Connor is promoting a country-wide petition to call for a referendum on the sale of public assets, saying New Zealanders deserve the right to keep their own assets.

"The National Government's determination to sell assets when the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders disagree would be called treason in any other country.

"The assets that each and every New Zealander owns will be handed to the select few who have the ability to buy shares and take half the profits. This is at a time when New Zealand desperately needs income to pay for healthcare and education.

"Locally, Solid Energy is the single biggest company in our economy and handing over half the profits of the efforts of West Coasters is unnecessary and unproductive. The vast majority of New Zealanders oppose asset sales. They know it doesn't make sense to flog off these strategically vital and highly profitable assets."

Labour is working with other community groups such as Grey Power to ensure that a referendum will take place. 10% of enrolled voters, or 307,000 people, need to sign the petition to force the government to have a referendum over asset sales.

"I am promoting the petition locally, and urge keen locals to contact me () if they wish to have copies of the petition sent to them. This is an issue worth marching in the streets over."

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