Law and order changes are recorded on the govt’s website – the PM’s treaty stance is there, too, but we must hunt for it
The public is being seriously short-changed by ministerial press secretaries and the managers of the government’s official website.
The website carries no record of some big decisions being announced by the Luxon ministerial team.
Perhaps that’s because the PM is not posting his announcements after putting them on the record at his post-cabinet press conference or in other forums.
For example, RNZ today has reported:
Auckland Regional Fuel Tax to end in June, PM announces
National campaigned on scrapping the tax – of 11.5 cents per litre of fuel including GST – within its first 100 days.
Speaking alongside the transport minister at a carpark in Parnell, Auckland, Luxon confirmed the scrapping of the tax, saying it would lower the cost of filling a Toyota Hilux’s tank by $9.20, or by $5.75 for a Toyota Corolla.
The government is determined to reduce the cost of living for hardworking New Zealanders, “and this will go some way to easing the pressure on them,” he said.
An announcement by Judith Collins, a major one related to her science portfolio, was reported in The Post under the heading
No more ‘Science City’ for Wellington as minister scraps major reform
The Government is scrapping a major science reform plan, including a $450 million investment to turn Wellington into a ‘science city’, leaving the science community anxious about future funding.
Part of Te Ara Paerangi – Future Pathways was the ‘Wellington Science City’, previously described by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise as “the Government’s largest ever capital investment in science infrastructure”.
The proposal looked to create three science hubs, one of them bringing together the likes of GNS Science, NIWA and Victoria and Massey Universities on climate change and disaster resilience. The second was to focus on health and pandemic readiness and the third was to be technology and innovation.
Then there is this from RNZ – an especially major announcement after the rancorous goings-on at Waitangi earlier this week.
PM Christopher Luxon rules out support beyond Select Committee for Treaty Principles Bill
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has clearly ruled out his party supporting the Treaty Principles Bill beyond Select Committee.
He also says he expects the entire process will be complete by the end of the year.
Speaking to media after the weekly Cabinet meeting, Luxon offered his clearest refutation of the ACT Party’s Treaty Principles Bill proposal yet.
“The National Party position – and as leader of the National Party now, not as prime minister – is that we will not be supporting that bill,” he said.
“We’ve ended up in a place where we’re actually going to support it through the first reading, there’ll be an aeration of the issue through the select committee, but there’s no intention to support it beyond that … we won’t be supporting it beyond that.”
Fair to say, Luxon might point out that his position on the Treaty was declared during his post-Cabinet press conference yesterday. What he said can be found in a transcript.
But during the same conference Luxon said the government had begun the legislative process to remove all taxpayer funding for what are known as section 27 reports.
Moreover, it has scrapped Labour’s target for reducing the prison population by 30 percent (apparently unaware that the Hipkins government had scrapped it before the general election).
The aim is to send “a strong message that victims and not offenders are the priority of this Government”.
He invited Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith to elaborate on this.
This news has been posted on the government’s official website as a specific announcement as well as being recorded in the transcript of the the post-Cabinet press conference
For example, RNZ today has reported:
Auckland Regional Fuel Tax to end in June, PM announces
National campaigned on scrapping the tax – of 11.5 cents per litre of fuel including GST – within its first 100 days.
Speaking alongside the transport minister at a carpark in Parnell, Auckland, Luxon confirmed the scrapping of the tax, saying it would lower the cost of filling a Toyota Hilux’s tank by $9.20, or by $5.75 for a Toyota Corolla.
The government is determined to reduce the cost of living for hardworking New Zealanders, “and this will go some way to easing the pressure on them,” he said.
An announcement by Judith Collins, a major one related to her science portfolio, was reported in The Post under the heading
No more ‘Science City’ for Wellington as minister scraps major reform
The Government is scrapping a major science reform plan, including a $450 million investment to turn Wellington into a ‘science city’, leaving the science community anxious about future funding.
Part of Te Ara Paerangi – Future Pathways was the ‘Wellington Science City’, previously described by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise as “the Government’s largest ever capital investment in science infrastructure”.
The proposal looked to create three science hubs, one of them bringing together the likes of GNS Science, NIWA and Victoria and Massey Universities on climate change and disaster resilience. The second was to focus on health and pandemic readiness and the third was to be technology and innovation.
Then there is this from RNZ – an especially major announcement after the rancorous goings-on at Waitangi earlier this week.
PM Christopher Luxon rules out support beyond Select Committee for Treaty Principles Bill
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has clearly ruled out his party supporting the Treaty Principles Bill beyond Select Committee.
He also says he expects the entire process will be complete by the end of the year.
Speaking to media after the weekly Cabinet meeting, Luxon offered his clearest refutation of the ACT Party’s Treaty Principles Bill proposal yet.
“The National Party position – and as leader of the National Party now, not as prime minister – is that we will not be supporting that bill,” he said.
“We’ve ended up in a place where we’re actually going to support it through the first reading, there’ll be an aeration of the issue through the select committee, but there’s no intention to support it beyond that … we won’t be supporting it beyond that.”
Fair to say, Luxon might point out that his position on the Treaty was declared during his post-Cabinet press conference yesterday. What he said can be found in a transcript.
But during the same conference Luxon said the government had begun the legislative process to remove all taxpayer funding for what are known as section 27 reports.
Moreover, it has scrapped Labour’s target for reducing the prison population by 30 percent (apparently unaware that the Hipkins government had scrapped it before the general election).
The aim is to send “a strong message that victims and not offenders are the priority of this Government”.
He invited Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith to elaborate on this.
This news has been posted on the government’s official website as a specific announcement as well as being recorded in the transcript of the the post-Cabinet press conference
Latest from the Beehive
7 FEBRUARY 2024
The coalition Government is making good on its promise to restore law and order by removing government funding for Section 27 reports and abolishing the previous Labour Government’s prison reduction target.
The coalition government will refocus employment efforts and the welfare system so that supporting people who can work into jobs is the number one priority.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
2 comments:
Disappointing that the Government has not announced they will increase the prison population, temporarily, by one, that one being, obviously, the previous but one PM, who should be awaiting public flogging and time in the stocks.
Science - probably a good thing as it would have been all about embedding Maori superstition and giving it kudos.
Incidentally had any one spotted the eco warrior ire that Mr Bean has allegedly sabotaged the success of EVs in the UK. Good ole Mr Bean and his alter ego Rowan Atkinson.
Did some chap really flash his goolies at Seymour at Waitangi? If that is true i find it pathetic and if it is defined as cultural I am disgusted.
If Luxon does not support Seymour and his NZ principles of being a NZer proposal then Luxon has de facto committed to showing those that voted for him that the Seymour principles are in fact correct. If this prevails and we do not need the hassle of a referendum then fantastic. However the reported comments on partnership by Luxon, Willis and Potaka do not inspire any confidence at all.
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