Via telephone this morning, the prime minister outlined the conversation he had with Fraser but added that he doesn't believe it had to escalate to the point of blocking the road.
Voice of: John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Basically what I did one of the members sent a message, Mr Fraser, he wanted to speak with me, I called him. We had a very cordial discussion and what we have agreed to is that one, the government, which we had told them since yesterday, that we'll give them the three dollar subsidy. He's saying even with that they're still seeing the need for a small rate increase. I said well we will agree to a small rate increase but they need to sit down with the officials at the ministry of transport to discuss what that rate increase is going to be, it'll be a minimal rate increase and three, that they've asked a representative from my office to be at those meetings. I have agreed to have Ian Courtenay to represent me so we'll be sitting down in those meetings and fortunately they cleared up the highway and I'm told by a reporter who was on the ground that that's what they've done."
Reporter:
"You're happy with this outcome?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well I would have preferred that we did not have to go through all of this to shut down the highway and inconvenience the commuters for a few hours, it could have been unavoidable."
