Today's Scoop Just Politics News Summary

Monday, 18 December 2006, 4:57 pm
Article: The Scoop Team

POLITICS HEADLINES:
Employment: Minimum Wage Rises By $1/Hour
Conservation: Japan To Face Protests Over Southern Ocean Whaling
Peacekeeping News: Kiwi Contingent Deployed To Lebanon
Environment: Another Day, Another Climate Change Consultation
Satire: Lyndon Hood Collates The Headlines
Justice: Results Of Court Perceptions Survey Released
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES
POLITICAL COLUMNS

Employment: Minimum Wage Rises By $1/Hour

Workers earning the minimum wage will receive a 9.8% pay rise from April 2007, Labour Minister Ruth Dyson announced today. The minimum adult wage, which applies to people 18 years and over, will increase from $10.25 to $11.25 an hour ($450 for a 40 hour week) from 1 April 2007 - the largest increase since the Labour-led government came into office in 1999. See... Largest increase to minimum wage since 1999 [1]
ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00352.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00355.htm

Conservation: Japan To Face Protests Over Southern Ocean Whaling

New Zealand has led the largest single diplomatic protest yet against Japan's lethal scientific whaling programme in the Antarctic, Conservation Minister Chris Carter announced today. Representatives of a total of 27 countries took part in the demarche at the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on December 15. A further protest is planned for Monday (today) at the Japanese Fisheries Agency. See... NZ leads largest protest yet against whaling [1]
ALSO:

BACKGROUND Scoop Video: Japan Stacks Deck At International Whaling Conference. (JUNE 2006)

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00334.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0612/S00226.htm

Peacekeeping News: Kiwi Contingent Deployed To Lebanon

Defence Minister Phil Goff today announced that New Zealand Defence Force personnel will deploy to Lebanon in the new year as part of a UN force to clear unexploded ordnance. Mr Goff is currently in the Middle East on a trade and defence mission. The New Zealand Defence Force will contribute two, ten person explosive ordnance disposal teams to the UN Mine Action Coordination Centre in Southern Lebanon (UNMACC-SL). See... NZ Contributes to Mid-East Peace [1]
ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00337.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0612/S00217.htm

Environment: Another Day, Another Climate Change Consultation

A significant forestry-planting programme involving thousands of hectares is one of the options being put forward to reduce New Zealand's carbon footprint. The Government is asking for consultation on proposals for agriculture and forestry, in its comprehensive approach to tackling the threat of climate change. See... Climate change policies a priority [1]
ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00340.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00361.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00356.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00351.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00362.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00347.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00350.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0612/S00336.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0612/S00340.htm

Satire: Lyndon Hood Collates The Headlines

Kiss of John Key Turns National Party Into Beautiful Princess : Helen Clark Remains Predictably Agitated After Fiji Prime Minster Overthrown Over Corruption Allegations, Foreshore Legislation : Report Attributes Prison Van Death To Multiple Corrections Failings; Murderer Also Implicated : Wine Competition Leads To Whine Competition : Christmas Party Had… See... Lyndon Hood: The Week In Headlines [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00235.htm

Justice: Results Of Court Perceptions Survey Released

Courts Minister Rick Barker released the 2006 report on 'Public Perceptions of the New Zealand Court System and Processes' today. "The survey shows that since 1999 we have made steady incremental improvements to a system that was grossly under-invested and neglected," said Rick Barker. "In 2004 a massive injection of $156million was made just to get the system back to the starting line." See... Report on Public Perceptions of Courts [1]
ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00336.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00349.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00332.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00335.htm

MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00341.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00354.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00339.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00344.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00346.htm

POLITICAL COLUMNS:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0612/S00357.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0612/S00247.htm

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