Wendy Geus: NZ Government Cancelling 2023 Census?

A headline in the Sydney Morning Herald on 27 June caught my eye: ‘Stats nerd’ Leigh in dream job on the eve of census. Newly minted Assistant Minister for Treasury Andrew Leigh was excited to release their latest census information.

What is truly amazing is that this comes a few weeks after a change of government and in the midst of an economic down turn with Covid and rising Omicron rates very much in the mix.

No excuses. They got it done, thanks to their public servants who would have been working on this during Morrison’s reign and just carried over to the new regime. That’s how governments are supposed to work: providing continuity and certainty even in the midst of a change of government.

Meanwhile back in New Zealand things don’t look so rosy.

Bryce Edwards: Bouquets and brickbats for the Government’s move against corruption

The Government has announced that it will legislate to force greater transparency around the ownership and control of private companies in New Zealand. This is a positive move that will help the fight against domestic corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, and the general use of New Zealand as a haven to hide the money of foreign oligarchs.

Commerce Minister David Clark announced yesterday that Cabinet has agreed to introduce legislation to establish a public register of the “beneficial ownership of companies”. This will require the accurate listing of who really owns and controls businesses here. And it will involve some strong compliance measures.

This is a real blow to wealthy vested interests attempting to keep any riches and ill-gotten gains secret from the public. Corporate New Zealand is being made to tidy up its act.

Sir Bob Jones: Journalists Be Kind

In their typical pack-running imitative practise, our media have had a field-day slamming the Health Minister David Clark for allegedly, “throwing the Director of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, under the bus”.

This is rubbish. The failure of the checking system fell squarely on Bloomfield’s management responsibility.

To the extent the Minister was also to blame relies solely on an absurdity which I’ve written about for decades, of alleged Ministerial Responsibility.

This is an irrational practise we’ve inherited from Britain and it’s long past time it was scrapped.

Garrick Tremain: The Plank

Here is Garrick Tremain's latest cartoon commentary!

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