Grant Robertson’s repeated refusal to tell Parliament how many shovel-ready projects have been through due diligence but are yet to be announced by the Government is the height of arrogance, National’s Transport and Infrastructure spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“The Government trumpets that 150 plus alleged ‘shovel-ready’ projects have been approved by Cabinet, but has refused to make this list public, instead preferring to drip-feed the list to ensure a continuous stream of announcements by Ministers as Parliament rises and the election campaign gets into full swing.

“The Prime Minister’s excuse for this yesterday was that some projects are still having due diligence conducted – but today Grant Robertson wouldn’t even tell Parliament how many had had due diligence completed but were yet to be announced.

“The Government’s preference for carefully released announcements with Ministers present in high-vis is the height of cynicism and is being seen as such by the public.

“The Government is putting its own political interests ahead of the interests of communities it is meant to be helping. Communities are crying out for clarity on what projects have made the cut and what haven’t. Likewise the construction sector is crying out for certainty. Jobs literally depend on the Government getting on with the job.

“The government’s attitude is a disgrace.”