Scoop  Parliament

Fast Tracking The Fast Track Bill

New Zealand First is appalled at the minority Labour Government’s obvious intention to fast track the select committee hearings on Project Aqua.

“The imposed report back deadline of 15 March 2004 does not give the select committee adequate opportunity to hear and analyse submissions for the Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Bill,” said Local Government spokesperson Jim Peters.

“The bill is another bypassing of the Resource Management Act. The people of the Waitaki valley, Meridian Energy, irrigators and farmers ought to have every right to an appropriate normal hearing process, including the right of appeal.

“This bill denies them such rights and is a reflection of the government’s imposed expediency. All applicants for resource consents, anywhere in New Zealand, should be subject to the same submission and hearing process,” said Mr Peters.

© Scoop Media

 

Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

Gordon Campbell: On How National’s ”New” Welfare Plan Resurrects A Past Failure

Sam Uffindell’s defenders keep reminding us that he was only 16 at the time of the King’s College incident, and haven’t we all done things in our teens that, as adults, we look back on with shame and embarrassment? True. Let's be honest. Haven’t we all at one time or another, joined a gang and beaten a smaller, younger kid black and blue with wooden clubs? In that respect, Uffindell’s defenders on the streets of Tauranga risk sounding a bit like the psychiatrist Kargol played by Graham Chapman on Monty Python. Some of the media commentary has also noted how the Uffindell saga has taken the shine off National’s good poll results and distracted us all from the unveiling of an important welfare policy at the recent National Patty conference. OK… So let's put the spotlight back on that welfare policy...
More>>