Agenda Snippets – Saturday 14 April 2007

Agenda Snippets – Saturday 14 April 2007

Government Ready To Abandon Proposal To State Fund Election Campaigns

Justice Minister Mark Burton has given his clearest hint yet that the Government may be ready to back down on state funding of election campaigns.

State funding has been proposed as part of a Government package to reform election campaign laws.

Greens Co-Leader Russell Norman confirmed today on the TVOne programme “Agenda” that one of the proposals the Government had talked to his party about was paying two dollars for every vote parties gained at an election.

But also on “Agenda” Mr Burton said: “We've got to put together a package that can enjoy significant support in order to progress; whether or not it includes state funding is of no great consequence compared to the overarching rationale for this package.”

Mr Burton said the Government would be proposing a package that included issues and measures to deal with third party expenditure and with accountability of campaigns.

Mr Norman indicated that though his party supported many of the Government proposals it was not happy with the idea of state funding.

Labour would need Green support to pass any state funding legislation but Mr Norman said he did not think there was time to get legislation passed on funding before the next election.

Former Herald Editor Would Have Launched An Inquiry Into Herald On Sunday Story.

Gavin Ellis, former editor of the Herald, says if he was editing the Herald on Sunday he would have launched an internal inquiry into how a story was published purporting to be an interview when no such interview had taken place.

The paper published what it said was an interview with the wife of Brad Shipton, the policeman convicted of rape and named as being involved in tapes of group sex .

The paper claimed the marriage had ended.

But it has since published a retraction and apology and conceded it did not speak to Mrs Shipton.

Speaking today on the TVOne programme, “Agenda”Mr Ellis said: “I would have instituted an internal inquiry into what happened with that story and if a journalist was found wanting, if they had deliberately misled then I think they should pay the consequences.”

Mr Ellis said the dangers of cost cutting media owners placing more pressure son journalists could be that there would be more ethical and other errors.

ENDS

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