Questions for Oral Answer
As At Thursday, 25 March 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. MARC ALEXANDER to the Minister of Corrections: Does he stand by his statement to the House on Tuesday that "this Government is putting more people in prison for longer, as part of its get-tough-on-crime campaign."; if so, why?

2. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Finance: Will the Government reconsider its growth strategy in light of the Business Herald's survey of small to medium business CEOs, which showed that 94 percent of respondents were convinced New Zealand did not have a growth strategy to sustain business success?

3. DARREN HUGHES to the Attorney-General: What are the tenure arrangements for judges appointed to the Supreme Court?

4. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister for ACC: What has been the total cost to ACC, in each of the past three years, for private providers of rehabilitative services, such as Alpha Consultants?

5. NANAIA MAHUTA to the Minister of Education: Has he received any reports on the compulsory national testing of primary school-aged children?

6. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister of Corrections: Why did he dismiss barrister and solicitor Irene Kereama-Royal's letter as the concerns of a "disgruntled former employee" of the Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust, and how many people from each marae attended the hui, for the planned Waikato prison, paid for by the Department of Corrections?

7. JANET MACKEY to the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF): What is she doing to ensure multiple agency care placements are managed effectively?

8. JOHN KEY to the Minister of Finance: Does he believe the Government's current economic direction has the endorsement of the business community; if so, what evidence does he have to support his view?

9. DIANNE YATES to the Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: How did the Government support the presentation of New Zealand works in the 2004 New Zealand International Arts Festival?

10. Dr WAYNE MAPP to the Associate Minister of Justice: Will Maori co-management of the foreshore and seabed, which she stated "will be addressed in the bill" to be introduced on this matter "in the near future.", still include enhanced participation options, including devolved management, membership on hearing committees, and the establishment of whanau, hapu, or iwi committees?

11. IAN EWEN-STREET to the Minister of Agriculture: Will the Government follow the lead of the United States state of Vermont and introduce legislation that holds biotechnology corporations liable for unintended contamination of conventional or organic crops by genetically engineered plant materials; if not, why not?

12. BERNIE OGILVY to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): Does he stand by the principles, enunciated in last year's discussion document, that the system of student support should ensure "equity and fairness" and "consistency with the wider social assistance system"?

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>>