News Worthy - 4 May 2007

4 May 2007 - No. 108

The smacking debate

This long running drama seems now destined to come to a quiet close with agreement between National and Labour that the Bill should be amended to make clear that inconsequential smacking does not carry with it the stigma of a criminal prosecution.

As the pundits have pointed out “what is inconsequential” remains to be debated and determined in the courts.

There probably has not been a Members Bill which has consumed such a substantial chunk of Parliamentary time including Select Committee hearings for many years. My email newsletter 104 identified a small part of the costs of a protracted process.

The figure to date on my estimate is 57 hours in Parliamentary time.

Electorate boundaries

The provisional boundaries for the next election were announced on 3 May 2007. The boundaries are adjusted every two elections following the Census to reflect population shifts.

Epsom remains substantially unchanged. The significant changes are probably:

* A new electorate of Howick

* A new electorate of Hunua

* A significantly increased electorate of Piako

* The disappearance of Rakaia

The next election will truly test the strength of the ethnic vote. The latest Census records show how critical that vote may well be.

Seven Largest Asian Ethnic Groups

2001–2006 Censuses

Ethnic group / 2001 count / 2006 count / Percentage change 2001–2006

Chinese / 105,057 / 147,570 / 40.5
Indian / 62,190 / 104,583 / 68.2
Korean / 19,026 / 30,792 / 61.8
Filipino / 11,091 / 16,938 / 52.7
Japanese / 10,023 / 11,910 / 18.8
Sri Lankan / 7,011 / 8,310 / 18.5
Cambodian / 5,268 / 6,918 / 31.3

Source: 2006 Census: QuickStats about Culture and Identity released 19 April 2007

Just by way of example on the North Shore the second most widely spoken language is Korean.

The rapacity of the tax gatherers

The increase in the number of tax gatherers has outstripped the bid to recruit 1,000 new police.

Answers to parliamentary questions reveal the number of staff employed by Inland Revenue has increased by 1,212, since 1999 and the amount spent on consultants has increased a staggering 344% since 1999.

A total of 324 consultants, contractors and consultancy firms were used by IRD in 2006, compared to 73 in 1999. In 1999 the incoming Labour Government pledged to cut back on consultants. So much for that aspiration.

Political Quote of the Week

"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." Antoine de Saint-Exupery - French aviator and writer, real life hero who looked at adventure and danger with poet's eyes

Dr Richard Worth

National Party MP

ENDS

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