Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parliament
Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas.
Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of a pair of pistols.
On the other hand, maybe it’s a very good time for a Minister to head for another country, if only to be spared the spectacle of the Maori Party noisily demonstrating its disdain for the tikanga of this country’s Parliament. Or was it provocative mischief-making?
The Minister in question is Judith Collins, whose travel plans have not been posted on the government’s official website, but have been recorded on Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines along with some cost-of-living news from the PM.
The Minister in question is Judith Collins, whose travel plans have not been posted on the government’s official website, but have been recorded on Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines along with some cost-of-living news from the PM.
4 December 2023
Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM).
4 December 2023
Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says.
Judith Collins said the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting would provide her with an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with her Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters demonstrate this country’s ongoing commitment to the Pacific.
Hosted by France, the meeting will involve Defence ministers from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, France, Tonga, Chile and Australia. The United Kingdom, United States and Japan will take part as observers.
During the meeting, New Zealand will lead discussions on the implications of natural disasters for regional security and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) response as well as advancing Women, Peace and Security initiatives.
The Minister will be joined by Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short and Ministry of Defence officials. The delegation will return to New Zealand on 6 December.
In his press statement, Christopher Luxon said the government is starting its 100-day plan “with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what is hurting families the most right now.”
But when it comes to the nub of the statement, essentially Luxon is saying the government will do what the law requires it to do.
“Cabinet has confirmed that, as required by the Income Tax Act, Working for Families will be adjusted to compensate for the high inflation wreaking havoc on families’ budgets over the past year.
“Family Tax Credit rates will increase from $136 to $144 per week after tax for the eldest child, and from $111 to $117 per week for a subsequent child. The Best Start tax credit rate increases from $69 to $73 weekly after tax. These changes will come into effect on 1 April 2024.”
But hey – doing what the law requires the government to do provided the PM with an opportunity to engage in some politicking:
“Families have been feeling the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, and this increase will be a welcome boost to the back pockets of those who most need it.”
And the fiscal impact?
“The cost of these changes is $769 million over four years and is already accounted for in the Pre-Election Fiscal Update (PREFU). Increasing Working for Families is just one part of the Coalition Government’s plan to address the cost of living.”
But wait – there’s more:
“As part of our 100-day plan the Government will also focus the Reserve Bank on a single mandate of reducing inflation.
“The previous Government gave the Reserve Bank multiple priorities which meant it was not solely focussed on keeping inflation at target.
“These measures will all help New Zealand families deal with the cost of living.”
It’s early days. Let’s see how things are turning out in – let’s say – six months.
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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