Phil Goff: Police Surveillance & Cannabis

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The leader of the opposition opened his weekly press conference noting a good weekend for New Zealand with wins in rugby and, "the real treat of the weekend", in league.

On plans for urgent surveillance legislation:
• Govt had made "no effort to talk with us" on bill.
• Will vote the plan through to select committee.
• Not convinced 'serious criminals will get off the hook' as claimed
• The video surveillance process from Search and Surveillance bill is "the right thing to do" – Govt has had nearly a yes since that reported back. Goff calls this "incompetence".
• Reluctant to support retrospective law, particularly under urgency.

ACT Party:
• Don Brash's suggestion on cannabis law: "a bit old to be a hippy".
• Users should not be subject to imprisonment but cannabis should not be made more widely available.
• Goff has 'Never been a smoker' but was a student in the 70s
• John Boscawen standing down "a shame".
• No "cohesiveness or intergrity" in current ACT.
• Brash plans to enter Parliment on John Banks' coattails but did not clear cannabis suggestions with him.

Terry Serepisos Bankruptcy:
• Repect work for Phoenix, in other respects up to process and public opinion.

NZ and world economy:
• China important but Europe problems would have an effect.
• Govt needs to be more active, including for Canterbury insurance – 12 to 24 month timeframe for new insurance is too long.
• Exports and low debt paid off under Labour puts us in a relatively strong position.

Voluntary Student Membership Bill up for final reading:
• Can no longer be delayed, is "regrettably" likely to go through (barring urgency).

Labour savings plan:
• Would not be drawn on the nature of his "universal" savings plan, but repeated that Muldoon's demolition of Norman Kirk's compulsory savings scheme had done huge damage to the economy.

League final screenings:
Would be in favour of negotiating screening of the League final on the Rugby World Cup fanzone screens.