Chlöe Swarbrick & Chris Hipkins press Government on new electricity/gas tax

VIDEOS

Video 1 (Above)

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick and Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins hold Luxon to account as Luxon denies that a “levy” is a tax.

Meanwhile, Winston Peters performs his usual mockery tactics

The video ends with Luxon being unable to answer Swarbrick’s question about whether anyone outside of the fossil fuel industry endorsed the LNG decision.

Video 2 (Below)

We see Barbara Edmonds press Nicola Willis on 32,000 lost jobs since National takes office, and the 139,000 part timers who want more work, and ends with a flustered Finance Minister, who earlier tried to blame Labour for the government’s economic performance.

You may have missed this:

Last year, journalist Kirsty Johnston wrote an excellent article about the Government’s energy policy and it’s worth a recap here, as it provides excellent context to what’s happening:

“When the government unveiled its long-awaited energy package … the centrepiece was a promise to fast-track the import of overseas natural gas. Ministers…

But the response from almost every corner - other than the gas industry itself - was a collective groan. Liquified Natural Gas, or LNG, is an answer of sorts to the country’s energy security crisis, but not one most were hoping for.

Not only is imported gas expensive, it is also bad for the climate, and leaves us dependent on volatile global markets.

“LNG is not a good option for New Zealand. It’s a duress position, a band-aid,” says energy commentator Larry Blair.

Even the government’s own independent review warned LNG should only ever be a last resort.

Frontier Economics, which led the official Electricity Market Review, warned that importing LNG would expose New Zealand to international price shocks and make local exporters less competitive.

At best, it will buy the country a bit of time while it seeks a replacement for its dwindling domestic gas supply, Blair says. “It’s like jamming a finger in the dike to hold back the flood.”

For a government staring down the barrel of blackouts and business closures, however, LNG is an attractive short-term response. A terminal can be built relatively quickly, and it is a reliable fuel source that will slot easily into our current energy and electricity systems.”

That answers the question Swarbrick was seeking above too

Taxpayers Union’s Jordan Williams appears to care more that National made a bad policy choice for its electoral chances, than the “extra taxes” it will cost Kiwi households and businesses

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