Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

News Worthy - 18 July 2008

News Worthy
18 July 2008 - No. 256


A black mark for Auckland

Auckland is a final stopping point for a number of leisure ship cruises and it should be, for those disembarking passengers, a highlight.

It is a wholly unsatisfactory situation that apparently the cruise companies which operate the ships consider their duty done when the ship berths.
When that happens, passengers booked to fly out of New Zealand are bussed to places like the Ellerslie Racecourse grounds and held there pending departure of their homeward flights. One would have thought there was a great opportunity to give those passengers in the remaining short period of their stay a worthwhile New Zealand experience.

Not so it seems.

Surely this is an issue that cruise companies in conjunction with local tourist operators could better organise.


ACC – safer workplaces effective compensation

National supports a comprehensive, 24/7, no-fault accident insurance scheme that delivers certainty of coverage to all New Zealanders. However, the ACC scheme can be improved. Workplace accident figures are high by international standards.
OECD data to the end of 2003 showed New Zealand’s non-fatal injury rate rising when everybody else's except Luxembourg were falling. ACC data shows the number of work-related injury claims increased each year from 2002 to 2005, only declining in 2006.

Incentives for employers to improve safety practices are poor in a scheme in which similar premiums are charged regardless of an employer’s workplace accident record. Where accidents do occur, incentives for quick, high-quality rehabilitation are weak, and entitlements under the scheme for injured people are not of high quality.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

What should be put in place is a more flexible scheme that rewards employers with good workplace safety records, penalises those with poor records, and encourages employers to buy more than the basic cover.

So National’s policy is:

• Investigate opening the Work Account to competition.

• Conduct a full stock-take of the various components of the ACC scheme, evaluate progress to full funding, and identify areas of cross-subsidy or cost-shifting and underfunding of newly-legislated entitlements.

• Investigate the introduction of an independent disputes tribunal to end ACC’s dual role of judge and jury on disputed claims.

ACC is highly complex. Any changes to introduce new elements of competition and choice will be made after full evaluation of the benefits to consumers.

The experience of competition in the late 1990s was healthy for ACC. Levy rates are now substantially lower as a result of that experience, and the ongoing prospect of competition.


The creative sector

Our creative sector is a source of pride for New Zealanders and represents our country on the international stage, whether through movies like The Lord of the Rings, or the highly regarded New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. It is essential we continue to support creative New Zealanders and the sector.

National will maintain current levels of arts funding, should it be in the position to form a government following the 2008 election.

The pledge is to retain the Music Commission and maintain the commitment to local music through NZ On Air.
There will be changes in legislative areas such as the Copyright Act and updating the Film Commission Act. The Large Budget Screen Production Grant and the Screen Production Investment Fund will remain.
In a range of initiatives National will also:

• Focus the Ministry of Culture and Heritage on its core responsibilities, and reform the Arts Council to improve service delivery.

• Improve the Creative Communities scheme and strengthen links between the Arts Council, local authorities, and iwi.

• Maintain the PACE scheme and help establish a creative-sector law centre.

• Update the Historic Places Act.

• Support the National Portrait Gallery through the National Library.

• Support the reform of the Authors' Fund.


Political Quote of the Week

“If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success" John D Rockefeller, Jr - major philanthropist - donated over $537 million to myriad causes over his lifetime (1874-1960)


Dr Richard Worth
National Party MP


ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.