Questions for Oral Answer
As At Tuesday, 14 December 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. Dr DON BRASH to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in her Minister of Police; if so, why?

2. STEVE CHADWICK to the Minister of Health: Has she received any reports regarding the progress of primary health organisations?

3. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in the Minister of Broadcasting; if so, why?

4. LYNNE PILLAY to the Minister of Education: What reports has he received on possible changes to school enrolment scheme legislation?

5. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): Does he stand by his statements that "The TEC will bring clear strategic direction to the system as a whole." and "It is very important to ensure our research efforts and our student enrolments are concentrated in areas of high performance and high strategic relevance."; if so, is he satisfied with the quality of spending in tertiary education?

6. LARRY BALDOCK to the Minister of Conservation: Does he stand by his statement in his letter to Mr Friend of Outdoor Recreation New Zealand's Marine Committee, regarding the proposed Aotea (Great Barrier) Marine Reserve, that "It is not possible for any number of submissions in support to create precedence for the future, since the statutory path of the Marine Reserves Act 1971 directs me, as decision maker, to consider any objections received on a marine reserves proposal, not submissions in support. I do not base my decision on the number of objections versus submissions in support,"; if so, why?

7. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: What steps, if any, is she prepared to take to ensure our national security is protected?

8. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Broadcasting: What actions, if any, does he propose to take, given reports in today's Dominion Post that Television One news anchor, Judy Bailey, has almost doubled her salary to $800,000 a year and that he is angry at the size of the increase?

9. RODNEY HIDE to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her reported comments that she was revolted by Paul Holmes' $760,000 salary and that money paid to top Television New Zealand presenters makes her own pay look like "petty cash", and how much taxpayers' money has the Government put into Television New Zealand in the last 12 months?

10. KEITH LOCKE to the Attorney-General: Does she agree with the comments of the Solicitor-General, who, when it was put to him in the Supreme Court last week that there was no suggestion violence might occur in New Zealand as a result of any activities Mr Zaoui might be involved in, replied "I think that's fair, Your Honour."; if not, why not?

11. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Corrections: Does he still stand by his comment "I consider the $1.3 million figure to be excessive" with regard to consultation costs for Spring Hill Prison, and does he consider there to be any further excessive spending on this project?

12. Hon MARK GOSCHE to the Minister of Labour: What reports has he received on the state of the New Zealand labour market?
Questions to Members

1. KENNETH WANG to the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee: Has the committee met to consider the petition of Kenneth Wang and 7296 others requesting a review of the new English language immigration test, which was presented on 17 December 2002; if not, why not?

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>>