The Minister of Internal Affairs, Jack Elder, has asked the Presiding member of the Lotteries Commission, Geoff Thompson, to review the Commission's travel practices and report back to him by the end of October.

In a 30-minute meeting at Parliament today Mr Elder told Mr Thompson it was inappropriate in most cases for spouses' travel to be paid for by the Commission.

He also asked Mr Thompson to review the numbers of Lotteries Commission representatives attending conferences. Five commission members or staff, not including spouses, attended a recent conference in Norway.

Mr Elder also discussed with Mr Thompson the consultations that took place with the State Services Commission over the employment package for the Commission's Chief Executive, David Bale, who has since resigned and the process for finding his successor.

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>>