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

 

Confused Brash contradicts English

12 November 2004

Confused Brash contradicts English

National leader Don Brash and the man he rolled Bill English are at odds over their early childhood education policy, Education Minister Trevor Mallard said today.

"Dr Brash is refusing to commit to retaining Labour's policy of 20 hours free early childhood education a week at community centres, while Mr English said in May that the policy would not be repealed.

"Who is right and why can't National get its story straight? They can't get their facts right either.

"Their tired old claims that private centres and the kids who go to them won't benefit from this year's budget are rubbish. Of the $307 million that the government is investing to improve the quality of early childhood education provided, about half will go to private centres.

"This investment is designed to cover the costs of hiring qualified staff, of reducing staff: child ratios for instance. Private centres will certainly not miss out.

"Dr Brash should also read the business pages. Instead of closing, there are reports that chains of private early childhood centres are actually expanding.

"He promises to subsidise private businesses at the same level as non profit organisations, yet his education spokesman is refusing to promise to increase the education budget. Who is right? Does this mean Dr Brash will slash education spending somewhere else to carry out his plans?" Trevor Mallard said.

ENDS

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.