Doc
Proposal to Cost $200,000
Otago Daily
Times
This article was
originally published in the Otago Daily Times 24 May 2005
Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association executive officer Malcolm
Lawson, who requested the information from the minister, criticised
the amount involved.
He said public servants
had a duty to spend taxpayers’ funds wisely.
“Many people
. . . will find the spending of this amount of money in the pursuit
of ideology and in defiance of the great majority to be an obscene
and totally irresponsible action.”
Mr Lawson said the figure
was requested on April 12, before the last in a series of consultation
meetings held throughout Otago.
The cost, therefore,
continued to grow and he said it would be near $200,000 before
a formal application was made.
“Imagine what constructive
work could have been carried out in 5662 hours and with over $151,000,”
he said.
Otago conservator Jeff
Connell said he was comfortable with the money spent on the proposal
so far.
Doc needed to spend that
kind of money to fully investigate the idea, he said.
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