THE GAME Archive

  • frog

    General debate, March 21, 2010



    Enjoy the autumnal equinox! After a dirty campaign from Labor, there is a tidal shift in Tasmanian state politics, where the Greens now hold the balance of power. The Greens gained 21% of the primary vote (+6% on 2006), and have a confirmed four seats in the 25-seat Parliament with a fifth possible. Perhaps the time [...] read more
    March 21, 2010 7:33 am - 8 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Working with the Government via MoU



    There are the practical, tangible measures from the MoU with National – homes getting insulation into the ceilings and under their floors, the Waikato River Trail open for cycling – and then there’s the political component which is a bit harder to measure. read more
    March 19, 2010 3:17 pm - 15 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Privatisation in education legislation



    The word opposition doesn’t always describe Labour’s voting patterns. In fact, Labour have voted with National almost exactly as often as the Maori Party, even though Labour is the official opposition, and the Maori Party is actually part of the Government! [For the political junkies, Labour have voted with National 12 times at first readings, and [...] read more
    March 19, 2010 2:46 pm - 15 Comments
  • frog

    Factory farming reprieve



    Some fantastic news late last night – the companies applying to start factory-style dairy farms in the Mackenzie Country have shelved their effluent consent applications, citing costs. This is a real victory for the Greens, the environmental movement, and everyone who’s spoken up in opposition to the proposals since we revealed them in December. More than [...] read more
    March 19, 2010 10:45 am - 22 Comments
  • frog

    Metiria grills the PM on mining contradictions



    Metiria Turei grills the Prime Minister on his government’s confused and contradictory statements about the mining of protected Schedule 4 lands on the conservation estate. Her question was: Does he stand by his statement “Notwithstanding the public consultation process, it is my expectation that the Government will act on at least [...] read more
    March 18, 2010 1:56 pm - 4 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    MPS – structural problems remain



    We had the Reserve Bank Governor in front of Finance and Expenditure Committee today about his Monetary Policy Statement. The MPS is very much a steady as she goes document. But if you look more closely it’s not so pretty. For example it predicts the current account deficit returning to more than 7.2% by 2013 (from 1.8% in 2010). [...] read more
    March 11, 2010 2:34 pm - 37 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    “Reshaping” the Ministry of Education



    I’m not a morning person at the best of times, and trying to understand what the Minister of Education was saying on “Morning Report” today about cuts to the Ministry of Education cuts was a true challenge. Is this an opposition beat up? Is the Minister directing the Ministry to cut administration services? Is it a [...] read more
    March 11, 2010 11:02 am - 7 Comments
  • David Clendon

    Govt understanding of the Tertiary sector: FAIL



    Oh dear. Anyone who felt a wee bit nervous when Steven Joyce became Tertiary Education Minister has a right to feel justified in their fears after his last couple of annoucements. First, we hear there are plans to link funding for tertiary institutions to the pass rates of their students from 2012. This is a terrible [...] read more
    March 10, 2010 3:19 pm - 26 Comments
  • frog

    It’s my birthday!



    I don’t really want to make a big deal about it, but it is my 5th birthday today! My very first post, which is as valid now as it was 5 years ago, was about the precautionary principle. I followed that with a a post on tax, which is also a hot topic at the moment. [...] read more
    March 10, 2010 9:33 am - 19 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Why are 30,000 kids a day voting with their feet?



    The statistics on truancy are very worrying. Not only do we have 72,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 out of work and out of any form of education, but we have 30,000 students a day not wanting to go to school. In response, the Government has doubled funding to deal with [...] read more
    March 3, 2010 2:10 pm - 24 Comments
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