"On paper these protocols would seem robust enough to satisfy Labour's requirements. But, as always, much will depend on the political will behind them," Labour finance spokesperson Michael Cullen said today.

"And one has to wonder how vigilant this Government will be given that it was so slow to act in the first place.

"This package is a confession of Jenny Shipley's failure as Minister of State Services when the Auditor General brought these matters to her attention - and she did nothing.

"Had firm action been taken then, the scandals which have occurred since in terms of pay-outs and the confusion in terms of responsibility need never have happened.

"The fact that they were allowed to happen has compromised the public's confidence in the public service. That is a serious business but is just another strand in this Government's unfortunate legacy," Dr Cullen said.

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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>>