Border Bungles Will Cost Jobs

new-zealand-national-party

Sun Jun 21 2020 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Border Bungles Will Cost Jobs

Sunday, 21 June 2020, 10:58 am
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Restoring confidence in our handling of the border is a critical part of restoring our economy, National’s Finance spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

OECD figures show that New Zealand will be one of the most heavily affected countries, in terms of lost national income and jobs. Our GDP fell 1.6 per cent in the three months to March, mostly before the Covid crisis, while Australia’s only fell 0.3 per cent.

“The incompetence, bungling and lack of attention to detail on border quarantine that has been laid bare this week will make it more difficult to restore the flow of people that fuel our economy.

“New Zealanders will naturally be fearful of re-opening our borders to international students and the Trans-Tasman bubble if our systems are loose and unreliable.

“As a result, restoring international education, which used to generate some 55,000 jobs, will be further delayed. National is committed to restoring international education with a stringent health check on every student and testing on entry and exit of quarantine.

“Australian tourists, who could help save jobs in our tourism and hospitality sectors, will be delayed.

“The loss of trust at the border will hold back our economic recovery and cost jobs.

“We need a coherent economic plan which is more than debt-fuelled government spending on an industrial scale.

“Opening the economy safely is part of National’s plan, but that relies on competence at the border.”

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 National Party on InfoPages.