4 September 2001

Socially responsible superannuation voted down 113 - 7

Green co-leader Rod Donald said today's defeat of a Green amendment to have a definition of 'socially responsible' inserted into the New Zealand superannuation bill highlights differences between the Greens and all other parties in parliament.

The amendment was defeated by 113 votes to seven with every party in parliament voting against the Greens.

"For all that Labour and the Alliance talk about a commitment to social responsibility and triple bottom lines this vote shows exactly where they stand when it comes to the crunch," said Mr Donald.

"It's easy to talk the talk about sustainability at conferences up and down the country, but when it comes to walking the walk with legislation, the Minister of Finance puts on the shackles."

Mr Donald said the defeat of the Green amendment showed that every other party in parliament only wanted to make 'commercially prudent' decisions without taking into consideration the plight of people, communities and the environment.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>