Scoop: Just Politics

Monday, 11 December 2000, 4:25 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

JUST POLITICS
Staying in East Timor Another Year
Nats Like New Poverty Index
NZ’s New Health Strategy Unveiled
A Little Light Relief From Student Loans
Welfare Gets Local
Tuvalu PM Dies Suddenly
Auckland Transport Row
NZ Diplomacy Stepped Up In Harare

POLITICS FROM TOP SCOOPS
Simon Orme: Why We Are Unwelcome Over There
Kiwis Considered A Liability By Australia Says Prebble – PM Not Amused By Press Association
Mt Eden Prison Conditions May Violate Human Rights
Breaking Up TVNZ
Richard Prebble Writes From The Hill
Howard's End: Lessons From The US For Local Govt.
Women Will pay Price For Pill Funding Changes
Employers Political Update

JUST POLITICS

Staying in East Timor Another Year

- New Zealand's military commitment in East Timor has been extended for another 12 months, Prime Minister Helen Clark and Minister of Defence Mark Burton announced today. See... NZ to extend military commitment in East Timor [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00165.htm

Nats Like New Poverty Index

- The Poverty Indicator Project report released today is a welcome benchmark for monitoring the impact of the Labour-Alliance Government's policies on foodbank applicants, National's Work and Income spokesperson Belinda Vernon said today. See... Poverty indicator exposes risks [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00166.htm

NZ’s New Health Strategy Unveiled

- Health Minister Annette King says the New Zealand Health Strategy, launched today in the Grand Hall at Parliament, will ensure New Zealand uses its available health resources more effectively in the future. See... Minister launches New Zealand Health Strategy [1] and Annette King’s Speech [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00170.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00169.htm

A Little Light Relief From Student Loans

The income level at which borrowers must start to repay student loans will rise from $14,768 to $15,132 next April. See... Rise in threshold for student loan repayments [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00164.htm

Welfare Gets Local

- Local solutions to local welfare problems are being promoted in 2001 through the Government's new $1.5 million Stronger Communities Action Fund, Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey said today. See... Government Backs By-Community, For Community [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00159.htm

Tuvalu PM Dies Suddenly

- Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that she was shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death on Friday evening of the Tuvalu Prime Minister, Ionatana Ionatana. 9:16 am See... Death Of Tuvalu Prime Minister Ionatana Ionatana [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00156.htm

Auckland Transport Row

- The Government has clearly been stringing Auckland along with insincere promises about fixing the city's transport problems, National's Local Government spokesman Murray McCully said today. See... Govt Lets Auckland Down On Key Transport Issue [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00155.htm

NZ Diplomacy Stepped Up In Harare

- Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Jim Sutton announced the appointment of New Zealand's first Honorary Consul in Harare, Zimbabwe, today. See... Zimbabwe honorary consul appointed [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00151.htm

POLITICS FROM TOP SCOOPS

Simon Orme: Why We Are Unwelcome Over There

- Kiwi bashing has broken out in Australia in the lead up to Christmas, culminating in the revelation of a new deal between Canberra and Wellington, under which Kiwis moving to Australia need to meet the standard Australian immigration criteria to qualify for social security and other benefits. Simon Orme in Sydney Backgrounds the dispute. See... Australia – ‘Tis the Season for Kiwi Bashing [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0012/S00057.htm

Kiwis Considered A Liability By Australia Says Prebble – PM Not Amused By Press Association

- The Australian government has decided that New Zealand is a liability and not an asset says ACT leader Richard Prebble. See... Migration Speech Extract Hon Richard Prebble [1] and ACT – The Party With Policies To Bring NZ Home [2] . See also Jenny Shipley's view on the Tasman contretemps... NZ Government damaging Trans-Tasman relationship [3] . Earlier, on Friday night, the PM issued a statement critical of a story published as front-page lead in Saturday’s Dominion and elsewhere around the country from the New Zealand Press Association. See... NZPA report recklessly irresponsible [4]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00158.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00157.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00168.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00150.htm

Mt Eden Prison Conditions May Violate Human Rights

- The lawyer of 19-year-old Shannon Leonard, who hanged himself in Mt Eden prison on 3rd December, said at a public meeting on Saturday that the time had come to ask whether the conditions in the prison were a violation of human rights. See... Calls For Legal Action Following Death In Custody [1] and Peter Williams QC speech against Mt Eden Prison [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0012/S00053.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0012/S00040.htm

Breaking Up TVNZ

- The Government and TVNZ will jointly appoint commercial advisors to undertake a feasibility and viability study on establishing Broadcast Communications Limited (BCL) as a State Owned Enterprise separate from TVNZ. See... Feasibility Study On TVNZ/BCL Separation [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00163.htm

Richard Prebble Writes From The Hill

-For ACT Leader Richard Prebble’s latest missive from the hill see... Richard Prebble's Letter From Wellington #42 [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00162.htm

Howard's End: Lessons From The US For Local Govt.

- New unfunded mandates from central government will likely force district and regional councils to spend more ratepayer's money in social and environmental areas as part of two central government reviews of laws governing them. See... Howard's End: Lessons From The US For Local Govt. [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0012/S00050.htm

Women Will pay Price For Pill Funding Changes

- “The Health Minister must step in and stop Pharmac from turning the funding of the contraceptive pill upside down,” National Associate Health spokesperson Lynda Scott said today. See... See... Pharmac Savings Made At Women's Expense [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0012/S00153.htm

Employers Political Update

- Union breaches ERA Actions by the Waterfront Workers’ Union appear to be in breach of the Employment Relations Act, says NZEF’s Anne Knowles. See... Political Update Fri 8 Dec 2000 (No. 39/00) [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0012/S00041.htm

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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