Questions for Oral Answer
As At Wednesday, 1 September 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. LYNNE PILLAY to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): What is the Government doing to ensure a highly skilled New Zealand workforce?

2. Dr DON BRASH to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his answer of $12.793 billion to the House yesterday when asked what the cumulative nominal increase in all taxes received since 1999 was; if so, why?

3. Hon PETER DUNNE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Why was Taiwan Minister of State Lin Yi-Fu refused entry to New Zealand, and how is this "in the best interests of New Zealand" as the Minister claims?

4. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister of Broadcasting: Following his answer yesterday that the $450,000 "equity investment" into NZ Idol was a "very normal contract for New Zealand On Air. It funds programmes in this way frequently.", how many loans has New Zealand On Air provided television programme makers, and how many of those loans have been paid back in full?

5. TARIANA TURIA to the Attorney-General: When was the last time an Attorney-General sought judicial review of a decision of a Judge in the Maori Land Court?

6. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Education: Does he agree with the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Association of Counsellors and some schools that parents and guardians have no right to know if their child has been sexually assaulted?

7. HELEN DUNCAN to the Minister of Education: Has any evidence yet been supplied to substantiate the claim that "many students gave exactly the same answers to questions" during assessments for National Certificate of Educational Achievement credits at Hauraki Plains College; if not, what reports has he seen on the matter?

8. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Police: What communications and discussions has he had with members of the police with respect to the incident at 8 Rocky Nook Avenue on 12 September 2002 and is he satisfied with the outcome?

9. Hon MARK GOSCHE to the Minister of Labour: What recent reports has he received on proposed changes to the minimum wage?

10. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Minister of Fisheries: Does he stand by his statement of 10 June that there was no doubt bottom trawling did "considerable damage" to the environment; if so, will he support a short-term moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters to protect the unique biodiversity of seamounts and coral reefs?

11. JOHN CARTER to the Minister of Defence: Is he satisfied with the performance outcomes in the New Zealand Defence Force Annual Report 2003/2004; if so, why?

12. MARC ALEXANDER to the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does he continue to stand by his statement that assessment for the Independent Youth Benefit is "taken seriously"; if so, why?

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>>