Politics behind truck protest - Cullen

JONATHAN CAMERON/Manawatu Standard

A MISUNDERSTANDING: Finance Minister Michael Cullen denies the government misled truckers by agreeing to a month's notice on RUC charges.

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Finance Minister Michael Cullen has accused Road Transport Forum chief executive Tony Friedlander, a former National cabinet minister, of organising yesterday's truck protest for political motives.

Speaking in Palmerston North just hours after thousands of trucks clogged roads in main centres around the country, Dr Cullen accepted there may have been a misunderstanding between the Transport Ministry and the trucking industry over whether notice would be given before road user charges (RUC) were increased.

"There may well have been [a misunderstanding] but I think there's a great deal of politics about this as well. It's not an entire coincidence, I'm sure, that the head of the Road Transport [Forum] is a former National Party cabinet minister."

The Government has denied it misled truckers by agreeing to a month's notice on RUC increases before raising them overnight earlier this week.

Dr Cullen did not accept that truckies were more aggrieved with what they saw as a betrayal by the Government than with the RUC increases themselves.

"Clearly, there's going to be a great deal of resentment around [the RUC increase], that's absolutely understandable, but the fact that people have chosen to take a particular form of protest . . . I don't think is entirely unrelated and I don't think it was entirely unplanned at the senior levels of the Road Transport [Forum] either.

"I'm sure they would have had some expectation there could have been a RUC increase on 1 July, I'm sure they would've known it was under consideration by Cabinet."

Mr Friedlander, a National MP for 12 years up until 1987, hit back at Dr Cullen last night, saying his former political ties were no secret.

"But I've been in this role and in this industry for 15 years," Mr Friedlander said.

"I've worked for Labour ministers during that time, both in Government and when they were in opposition and I believe I've done that totally impartially.

"Dr Cullen really ought to recognise this protest action was spontaneous - it was organised in two and a half days. I'm pleased that he has such a high opinion of me that he thinks I'm capable of getting approximately 4,500 protesting truck drivers out across New Zealand and that I'm capable of swinging public opinion behind our industry in the way that has been demonstrated.

Mr Friedlander denied the trucking industry knew the Government was considering increasing the charges, saying it "came out of left field".

- © Fairfax NZ News