Tolley hides in House

new-zealand-labour-party

Tue Aug 04 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Tolley hides in House

Tuesday, 4 August 2009, 4:43 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Hon Maryan Street
Tertiary Education Spokesperson

4 August 2009 **Media Statement
**
Tolley hides in House

Anne Tolley’s decision to hide in the House instead of meeting the hundreds of people who marched to bring their concerns about ACE cuts to Parliament shows just how much she cares, says Labour Tertiary Education spokesperson Maryan Street.

“In response to a question by me about her commitments today, Mrs Tolley admitted in Parliament that she had no formal engagements which would have prevented her meeting the many concerned members of the public who braved heavy rain today to highlight their concern.

“Mrs Tolley claimed instead that she was required in the House. This is just nonsense. She could have easily walked outside and met the group. Her decision not to was just further proof of how hollow her claims that the Government does care about Adult and Community Education actually are,” Maryan Street said.

“The march follows a series of meetings attracting hundreds of people around the country over the decision earlier this year to cut 80 per cent per cent of Adult and Community Education funding from schools.

“At a 500-strong meeting in Christchurch last week it was claimed John Key had admitted to a group of principals that the Government had underestimated the impact of the cuts,” Maryan Street said.

“Anne Tolley effectively conceded this was the case in the House today. But she remains doggedly unrepentant about the cuts themselves and that’s her problem.

“She should accept she has presided over a very bad decision and should petition her colleagues to reinstate the funding. There are more meetings planned, as well as several petitions. This issue is not going away.”

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.