Parker performs as a party propagandist, as he exposes the potholes in Nats’ transport proposals
Point of Order hopes to find the answers to questions about what ministers are up to, when our staff monitors the government’s official website.
How are they spending our money, who are they appointing, where are they going…that sort of thing.
Fair to say, most of the statements from which we glean the answers are crafted to show the ministers who issued them in the best political light.
In other words, they are underpinned by politics, pure and simple.
But sometimes the politicking is so blatant that its raises another question:
In other words, they are underpinned by politics, pure and simple.
But sometimes the politicking is so blatant that its raises another question:
When should ministerial statements be paid for from Labour Party campaign funds rather than by the taxpayer?
A statement issued yesterday by David Parker comes into this category. It bears all the hallmarks of propaganda unabashedly pumped out for party campaigning purposes.
Parker accuses the National Party of being “breathtakingly misleading about how it will fund its roading plans”. National’s costings for its new roading projects (he said) are “literally billions of dollars short, and their explanation of how they will fund them is woefully light”.
Maybe so. But in what capacity should he be challenging the Nats’ numbers?
His press statement said:
“The shortfall in their costings for just the four projects they announced yesterday is at least $2.8 billion, and as much as $4.8 billion. You can bet it’s much higher when their other projects are included.
“National has form in this area – when they were last in Government, they paid for new roads by slashing the road maintenance budget. That created a long-term resilience problem for our roading network, including the pothole explosion that this Government has had to fix.
“Then they announced a $500 million pothole repair fund, paid for by raiding the road safety budget – things like traffic police, road safety barriers, passing lanes and signage would be compromised.
“Now they are putting up poorly costed roading promises across the country in their desperation to get a headline. They say they will fund it all through the National Land Transport Programme, but that is laughable.
“True to form, National would have to fill the potholes in their roading projects budget by slashing maintenance spending and hiking road user charges and fuel excise duties. But they are not telling the public that – they should come clean on where they money is going to come from.”
Point of Order has been inspecting the statement for information about what Parker is doing as Minister of Transport. We failed to find it, other than a few words at the end of the huffing and puffing that sounded like campaign sloganeering:
“Labour has a track record of responsible investment in road building and maintenance. We balance the roading budget – we challenge National to do the same.”
Parker’s colleagues, meanwhile, were answering other questions.
How are ministers spending – and mis-spending – our money?
On providing social welfare services (at an unstated cost) for the inhabitants of public housing in Wellington City.
Something described as “Single Site supported housing” will apply to all units on the 80-home development site in Rolleston Street, Mt Cook, with 20 of the homes receiving intensive, specialist support.
Housing Minister Megan Woods today announced that Wellington City Mission has been selected as the successful provider and will provide all-day onsite support from later this year.
These services include, counselling, employment assistance, healthcare, budgeting and skill development that can empower and enable individuals to live stable lives with dignity. .
- On repairing cyclone-affected roads
- On paying nurses employed by Te Whatu Ora
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall did not mention the cost to the public purse when she announced this.
Where on earth can we find the minister?
If you are looking for the Minister for Emergency Management, Kieran McAnulty, the answer is that he is travelling to Fiji and Vanuatu today “to further strengthen cooperation between the countries in building resilience to natural disasters”.
Readers can learn more about these goings-on by opening the press statements on the government’s official website.
Latest from the Beehive
Minister for Emergency Management, Kieran McAnulty, will travel to Fiji and Vanuatu today to further strengthen cooperation between the countries in building resilience to natural disasters.
On-site care and support services for some of Wellington’s most vulnerable people is being introduced for the first time to permanent public housing in Wellington City.
The Government is providing a further $567 million to Waka Kotahi for immediate works on state highways in Tairāwhiti, Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay, Coromandel and Northland.
More than 30,000 Te Whatu Ora-employed nurses will receive a pay rise and a one-off lump sum payment to address historic pay equity issues, Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall announced today.
The National Party is being breathtakingly misleading about how it will fund its roading plans, Minister of Transport David Parker said today.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton.
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