Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Government may overturn lightbulb phase-out

Updated at 3:29 pm on 2 December 2008

The Government is considering overturning a ban on incandescent lightbulbs.

In June, the Labour-led Government announced it would phase out the old-style lightbulbs from October 2009, when new energy efficiency standards were due to be introduced.

Prime Minister John Key said it is unlikely his Government will adopt those standards.

"We have real concerns about telling people they have to move to energy-efficient lightbulbs by decree.

"We want to encourage people to do that, we think there may be benefits there for them to do it, but it should be a choice that they make as individual consumers."

Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said the standards will be rewritten to accommodate the old-style lightbulbs.

Labour's climate change spokesperson Charles Chauvel described the move as a backward step.

He said the Government has shown it does not know what it is doing on climate change.

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