Government must sort out RWC transport debacle

new-zealand-labour-party

Mon Sep 12 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Government must sort out RWC transport debacle

Monday, 12 September 2011, 2:08 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Phil Goff
Labour Leader

12 September 2011

Government must sort out RWC transport debacle

John Key should stop blaming everyone else for the embarrassing Auckland transport shambles and take responsibility for sorting it out quick smart, says Labour Leader Phil Goff.

“The Rugby World Cup opening events on Friday night were awesome. But it’s not good enough that hundreds or even thousands of fans missed out on seeing it because our transport infrastructure couldn’t cope.

“John Key is the Minister of Tourism. He knows the eyes of the world are on us. He and his Ministers should have made sure our trains, buses and ferries could cope with the influx of visitors. They’ve had years to prepare.

“Now that the failure has been exposed, John Key should bring everyone together to sort the problem out and guarantee rugby fans it won’t happen again. Instead, he’s washing his hands of the whole debacle and trying to downplay the impact.

“I notice this morning he suggested on radio that international visitors weren’t affected too much, that it was really only a few people on trains coming from “out south” that were affected.

“Those people coming from “out south” have just as much right as anyone else to expect to be able to get to the game. We’re talking about families that would have scrimped and saved for months to buy tickets. John Key doesn’t think they’re worth worrying about.

“He needs to stop running for cover. Step up and sort it out.”

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.