MEDIA RELEASE 14 JULY 1999

Education Minister Nick Smith said today that Labour's position on bulk funding of schools has become even more confused with Trevor Mallard's announcement today.

"Labour is attempting to have its cake and eat it too. Labour's policy on school resourcing has become a dog's breakfast where schools will have no clear idea of their funding. Labour should clearly state, as National has, its detailed funding formula and end the confusion."

Mr Mallard has pledged to scrap bulk funding and says Labour will put an additional $106 million into schools, via the base, operation and TFEA (Targeted Funding for Educational Achievement) grants, but has also stated that schools that have chosen bulk funding will get none of this. But, bulk funded schools also get operations grants and TFEA funding. These contradictory commitments give schools absolutely no certainty about their funding and could see schools of the same decile and size receiving different levels of funding.

"This policy raises more questions than it answers. They are either proposing bulk funding by stealth or a funding system that is so confused and unfair that nobody will understand their entitlement."

"The irony is that Labour and Trevor Mallard voted for the legislation introducing bulk funded salaries. Their policy sop to the teacher unions to scrap bulk funding is proving an electoral liability and they are now trying to climb out of the hole they have dug for themselves." 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>>