New Zealand First Deputy Leader Shane Jones is laughing off a half-baked plan by the Green Party to 'revoke' any consents issued for a tiny number of consents that may be issued under the fast-track regime for mining projects.
"The current Greens have shown themselves to be the most anti-region, anti-jobs, anti-economy political party we have ever had in Parliament. Labour leader Chris Hipkins should immediately rule out working with them in any future government.
"This is a party that prioritises scrubby bits of land with little value and dime-a-dozen species that will simply move elsewhere over the hard-working Kiwis who rely on mining for work, the regional economies that benefit for the direct and indirect benefits of these operations, and the millions of dollar they add to our economy every year.
Mr Jones said the Greens' plan would undermine the rule of law. "Retrospectively removing people's property rights is a sovereign risk and a constitutional outrage."
"To call today's mining announcement by the Greens a half-baked, wishful-thinking, empty promise without any research or thought behind it, would be an understatement.
"It is interesting that Marama Davidson and her MPs do not appear to be against all mining, nor against all fast-track projects, just a small handful of projects that are mining, fast-track and involve seabed mining, hard rock gold mining or coal mining. That's fewer than 10 by my count."
Mr Jones also noted that the Greens have refused to make today's announcement a bottom line in any negotiations, saying it was too early to make that call.
"I would also note media reporting Labour as saying it 'remained committed to projects having environmental protections applied as they would under a 'normal process'. That's exactly what is occurring."
