Tony Ryall National Commerce Spokesperson

20 September 2001

Don't panic, don't panic! Mad scramble to cover botch-up

The Government was today in a mad scramble to fix its botch-up with the Commerce Amendment Act, a stark contrast to its 'don't panic, don't panic' message 24 hours earlier, National's Commerce spokesman Tony Ryall said today.

"The Labour-Alliance Government can't do business. It spent three months doing 'due ditherance' on Air NZ and in a panic to look decisive on this issue, have stuffed it up completely.

"Business want the Government to make decisions. But not five different decisions on the same issue in the space of 24 hours.

"There was no comment from the Government when the Court of Appeal judgement was first announced at 10am yesterday.

"At 3pm, when National asked an urgent question, Mr Swain said he would call for a report.

"At 7pm, Mr Swain's press statement said the Commerce Commission would seek clarification from the Court.

"At 10pm he said he would move an amendment to the Statutes Amendment Bill.

"At 9am this morning he changed completely. There would be a separate bill passed through all stages under extraordinary urgency.

"At 2pm today we discovered that a separate bill would be passed under urgency and sent to a select committee.

"Paul Swain used to be the Government's business pin-up boy. Now he is the laughing stock of the business community.

"The Government ignored submissions from companies and the advice of National that transitional provisions should be expressly included in the Commerce Amendment Act. If the Government had taken notice then, this issue would not be embarrassing it now," Mr Ryall 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>>