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Corporate largesse
In his opening address to the 2010 New Zealand Petroleum Conference Minister of Most Everything Gerry Brownlee, has asserted that New Zealand must be “an attractive global destination for exploration and investment” – the “most exciting developments of the last twelve months have been the entry of Petrobras and Anadarko into New Zealand”, Brownlee continues.
In his opening address to the 2010 New Zealand Petroleum Conference Minister of Most Everything Gerry Brownlee, has asserted that New Zealand must be “an attractive global destination for exploration and investment” – the “most exciting developments of the last twelve months have been the entry of Petrobras and Anadarko into New Zealand”, Brownlee continues.
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Corporate Welfare Gerry Brownlee handouts $20 million |
None of this comes as a surprise; the present Government’s desire to strip-mine the country is hardly a secret – as the outrageous proposal to open up conservation land for mining testifies. Indeed Brownlee, in drumming up attendance for the conference, has made much of a 20 million dollar gift to the petroleum industry. Again no surprises here, corporate largesse on this scale will seldom get a mention in the daily media let alone be subject to the Governments “crack down on beneficiaries”.
Flamboyant reached rhetoric, and corporate welfare notwithstanding the issue underpinning the whole discussion should turn to what is good for New Zealand and New Zealanders – the need to bribe the petroleum industry to exploit local resources needs to be considered in light of the environmental impact not simply a projected return of resource extraction as the recent events in the Gulf of Mexico testify.
US periodical Mother Jones has published a special report on BP’s Deep Secret – it is well worth reading.
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