Parliament Today:

• Weekly Audio - Budget, Bills And Blue - MPs Briefed On United Nations
• Saturday 18 May - Parliament Ends Long Urgency Session
• Friday 17 May - To The Midnight Hour - Parliament Resumes To Pass Budget Bills
• Thursday 16 May - Urgency Progress - Urgency Motion - House Goes Into Urgency - Budget And Bills - Drawn From The Ballot - Budget Day And Urgency
• Audio - Bill English’s Fifth Budget And Debate In Reply
• Wednesday 15 May - Members Bills Progress, Blue Says Goodbye - Ministers Should Take Political Responsibility: Carter - More Goodbyes And Members Bills
• Audio - Grilling Over MMP Ahead Of Budget
• Questions and Answers – May 15
• Tuesday 14 May - Crown Entities Debate Gets Animated Over Asset Sales - Education Reform Bill Progresses - Gilmore Goes Peacefully - Petitions And Papers - Parting Shots And Education
• Audio - Gilmore Goes, MMP Stays The Same
• Questions and Answers – May 14
• Last Week's Audio - Public Submissions on Psychoactive Substances

Gordon Campbell: On The 2013 Budget

We are apparently on track for a margin-of-error $75 million surplus, now in sight for 2014/15. But this sickly creature is hobbling out of the lab on the basis of all kinds of facilitative conjuring... With this strictly nominal surplus in sight, the 1984-ish justification for eternal austerity will have a news talisman: namely, getting Crown debt down to 20% of GDP by 2020. More>>

ALSO:

• The Scoop Team - Scoop Coverage of Budget Day 2013
• Scoop Business - BUDGET 2013 COMMENT Plain sailing, but it’s no America’s Cup
• Scoop Full Coverage - New Zealand Goverment Budget 2013 Full Coverage

Auckland Discord: Govt’s Power Hungry Housing Approach A Threat - Labour

Last week the Government said this, ‘The Government commits not to use any proposed or existing powers ... to override the council's planning and consenting processes’. But its housing Bill says this; ‘If an accord cannot be reached in an area of severe housing unaffordability, the Government can intervene by establishing special housing areas and issuing consents for developers’. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Housing accords legislation passes first reading - Legislation For Housing Accords, Land Supply - Housing package improves affordability, access
• Greens - Budget numbers show National’s failure on home affordability
• Auckland Chamber of Commerce - Budget 2013: Housing intervention needed
• Out-Link - Gareth Morgan: Response to housing problem limp-wristed
• Earlier, Pre-Budget - Auckland Accord announced
• Scoop Full Coverage - New Zealand Goverment Budget 2013 Full Coverage

Extending Protest Ban, Relaxing Permit Rules: Govt Abuses Urgency To Extend Anadarko Amendment

The Government is trying to pass legislation under urgency which would make the Anadarko Amendment – which limits protest at sea – apply to an additional 1.7 million square kilometres, the Green Party said today. More>>

ALSO:

• Parliament Today - Parliament Resumes To Pass Budget Bills
• Labour - Government to extend protest ban
• Greenpeace NZ - Oil Companies Lacking ‘Expertise’ and ‘Financial Ability’ Set to Be Handed Drilling Permits
• 2010 image via: Pacific.Scoop - Media watcher gives NZ press nil score card for China oil spill coverage
• Scoop Full Coverage - New Zealand Goverment Budget 2013 Full Coverage

Gordon Campbell:
On Stonewalling About The GCSB And MMP

This week has seen two examples of turkeys refusing to vote for an early Christmas – while busily denying the evident self interest involved. First, the GCSB is refusing to identify the 88 people it has illegally spied upon – as revealed in the Kitteridge report – and is donning the cloak of national security to justify its refusal to be transparent.
… More>>

ALSO:

• In Scoop Politics - No Changes To MMP Before Election
• Alex Parsons - Alex Parsons Cartoon: Cheers Aaron!