Greens To Abstain On Imprest Supply

The Green Party has advised the Government that it will abstain in Tuesday's vote on the Imprest Supply Bill.

The bill provides money for the purchase of Air New Zealand and the establishment of the superannuation fund.

"While we support the buy-back of Air New Zealand," explained Green Party Co-leader, Rod Donald, "we are opposed to the Government's plan for the super fund and so the honest course of action is to abstain."

"To put it simply, 'plus one, minus one equals zero.'" The Greens have long opposed Labour's pre-funded super plan, on the basis that the money is better spent fixing the health system, creating employment, making the economy sustainable and in paying off the country's debts, rather than being gambled on the sharemarket.

The Greens' decision to abstain on the Imprest Supply vote, and the reasons for the decision, have been conveyed to the Minister of Finance, Michael Cullen.

ENDS

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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>>