Question 1.

Rt Hon. Helen Clark to the Prime Minister:

Q: As she has stated that her Government is determined to maintain a world-class social environment and that quality housing is a social investment that "underpin[s] our way of life, and the values that are important to us", does she agree with the Salvation Army that her Government's "big housing experiment ... has been ... disastrous"; if not, why not?

Question 2.

Belinda Vernon to the Treasurer:

Q: What are the latest indicators for business confidence?

Question 3.

Jim Anderton to the Minister of Revenue:

Q: Is he satisfied that the New Zealand Stock Exchange has been complying with tax laws in all material respects?

Question 4.

Patricia Schnauer to the Minister for Enterprise and Commerce:

Q: Has he received any advice as to the impact on workplace relations if the right to negotiate collective agreements was removed from employers and employees and given exclusively to trade unions; if so, what was that advice?

Question 5.

Hon. Dr Michael Cullen to the Prime Minister:

Q: Is she prepared to rely on the vote of a member of Parliament who no longer represents the party to which he or she was elected, to pass tax cuts legislation; if so, what moral authority does she claim for that position?

Question 6.

Gilbert Myles to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises:

Q: Have there been any recent attempts by the Government to sell Timberlands; if so, by whom?

Question 7.

Hon. Jim Sutton to the Minister for Food, Fibre, Biosecurity and Border Control:

Q: Has he considered the Commerce Commission's report on the proposed dairy reform legislation which expresses concern that farmers could be locked in without fair-value entry and exit opportunities; if so, will he slow the progress of the bill to give farmers more time to consult on the proposed legislation and take account of the outcomes of the Commerce Commission hearings?

Question 8.

Annabel Young to the Minister of Defence:

Q: Has he received any reports proposing a radical change in New Zealand's defence and security position?

Question 9.

Trevor Mallard to the Minister of Internal Affairs:

Q: Do the Prime Minister's comments that Mr Bale's pay was excessive mean that the Government will require the resignation of Mr Thompson as head of the Lotteries Commission; if not, why not?

Question 10.

Dr Wayne Mapp to the Minister for International Trade:

Q: Why did the Government decide to use the World Trade Organisation to resolve the dispute with the United States over its decision to impose tariffs on New Zealand lamb exports?

Question 11.

Jeanette Fitzsimons to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade:

Q: What arrangements are in place to verify the undertakings given that the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail, carrying plutonium-mixed oxide nuclear fuel, will avoid New Zealand's exclusive economic zone when they enter the Tasman Sea this week?

Question 12.

Geoff Braybrooke to the Minister of Defence:

Q: Does he stand by the Prime Minister's statement that "The Government's commitment to the defence of New Zealand is clearly spelt out in the 1997 defence white paper."; if so, why did the Government commit more than $400 million to the lease of replacement strike aircraft eight years ahead of schedule?

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>>