Bill English National Member of Parliament

14 September 2001

Australia-New Zealand relationship reaches a new low

The fact an RNZAF Orion is having to fly to Australia to rescue Helen Clark shows that trans-Tasman relations have sunk to a new low, the Acting Leader of the National Party Bill English said today.

"You would expect New Zealand's Prime Minister to be treated with some respect in Australia, but that clearly wasn't the case.

"Although the Federal Government has offered some assistance, it isn't exactly bending over backwards to help Miss Clark, and I'm a bit surprised by that.

"Hopefully the experience will help Helen Clark to understand the anger being felt in Australia towards both Air New Zealand and the New Zealand Government over the failure of Ansett Australia.

"The relationship between Australia and New Zealand took a huge step backwards over Helen Clark's decision on defence. Her attempts to curry favour by giving up the welfare rights of New Zealanders in Australia, and taking refugee boat people, don't appear to have worked.

"It is going to take years for a determined National government to rebuild New Zealand's credibility in Australia," Bill English said.

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>>