King Responsible For Auckland DHB Blowout

The Auckland District Health Board's $70 million deficit blowout is due to Helen Clark and Annette King's deception around operational funding for the Board, ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy said today.

"Ms King claimed the Budget increased Auckland's operational funding by $56.6 million for this year, but nearly half of this - $24.2 million - was needed just to take over Disability Support Services (Aged Care), which was previously funded by the Health Ministry," Mrs Roy said.

"The increase of $32.4 million on last year's $702.6 million represents a small 4.6 percent increase but, when population growth and health inflation are taken into account, this equates to no increase at all.

"Worse still, some of this remaining $32 million is to cover extra depreciation and other administrative costs.

"Well placed sources confirm the Minister is seriously considering appointing a commissioner to take over the Auuckland DHB. This would be both unfair and premature.

"The real problem is that there is no real increase in the Auckland DHB's funding, and that Ms King's financial grip is so weak she is dependant on her officials, and does not understand the real situation.

"This Minister is adept at hiding figures - only in recent days has she finally admitted that in the last four years 3,803 people had died on Labour's waiting lists.

"Annette King's answer to all DHB controversies is to claim large extra spending, but sound examination exposes this is as nothing but bluff and bluster," Mrs Roy said.

© 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>>