Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Labour Rewards Non-Smokers With Sunny Jaunt


Labour Rewards Non-Smokers With Sunny Jaunt

ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy today demanded that Health Minister Annette King tell the public whether her Labour Government had used taxpayers' money to send 25 anti-smoking bureaucrats and activists to Finland - and, if so, how much.

"New information shows that 25 New Zealanders - most from the Health Ministry or Ministry-funded organisations - attended the 12^th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in sunny Helsinki this month. Presumably, this trip was funded with public money" Mrs Roy said.

"Return airfares for this delegation would have cost, at the very least, $75,000. Using today's foreign exchange rate, conference registration would have come to around $21,840, and accommodation would have cost little less than $21,440.

"Government agencies which sent their employees on this junket include the Health Ministry, Northland Health and Community and Public Health - as well as taxpayer-funded organisations such as ASH, the Smokefree Coalition and the Health Sponsorship Council.

"If this jaunt was funded with vote health dollars - as is most likely - the public deserves to know how much. We must also know why we sent 25 people, when New Zealand has 750,000 smokers - compared to China, which has 300 million smokers and sent only 20.

"It is unlikely that these delegates paid their own way - especially in light of the Labour Government's anti-smoking agenda. Would it not have made more sense to simply send one or two to Helsinki, who could then report back to their colleagues upon their return?

"Whether taxpayers' funds were used to finance this trip, or the delegates received a special grant from Vote Health, the Minister must come clean. This would be a frivolous waste of health dollars - which could surely have been put into other, more sensible health initiatives. Sense, however, seems to be something this Labour Government is lacking," Mrs Roy said.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.