Health Minister says buck doesn't stop with me

Health Minister Annette King says she is not responsible for our biggest health board, the Auckland District Health Board, despite the fact she knew it was repeatedly blowing its administration budget, says National's Associate Health spokesman, Dr Paul Hutchison.

"She once said the buck stops with her, but actions speak louder than words.

"She has failed to take any responsibility, let alone any action, when she has known about the growing problems at our biggest DHB for almost two years."

The ADHB, which has a deficit of more than $48 million, has been under intensive monitoring since 2002. During this time the ADHB was spending 13.8% of its budget on administration and management, while the national average was 10.5%.

"What's the point of putting a DHB under intensive monitoring when the Minister won't act on major problems, instead blaming the DHB," says Dr Hutchison.

© 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>>