16 December 2004

Simon Power National Party Chief Whip

National trips up Govt on RMA bill fast-track

National Party Chief Whip Simon Power says Environment Minister David Benson-Pope should tidy up his act and learn how to do his job properly ahead of Monday's Cabinet reshuffle.

Mr Benson-Pope - a former whip - failed in the first reading of the Resource Management and Electricity Legislation Amendment Bill today to say he would be seeking an early report-back date.

"Then, when referring the bill to the select committee at the end of the first reading, he tried to shorten the date to 6 May, rather than the six-month presumption under Standing Orders," Mr Power says.

"National had to point out that this was outside the scope of Standing Orders.

"And so, by his own error and poor management by the Government whips, he failed to secure the report-back date he wanted.

"This is what happens when the Government has the House sitting under urgency to ram legislation through. It makes for silly mistakes and sloppy legislation.

"Their whips should tidy up their act and Mr Benson-Pope should learn how to do his job properly. After all, there is a reshuffle coming up on Monday," Mr Power says.

ENDS

© 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>>