privatisation Archive

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  Ports of Auckland’s agenda: Casualisation, union-busting and privatisation - by Denise Roche

  
  
  
  As the dispute between Ports of Auckland Ltd Board and management and the Maritime Union’s members continues, I’m starting to question whether there’s a less obvious agenda in play than the one espoused by Ports of Auckland management. Ports of Auckland have consistently said that they want to increase productivity. However the hardline approach and [...] read more
  January 14, 2012 6:45 pm - 25 Comments
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  Privatising public energy companies in Wonderland - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Tony Ryall, Minister of State Owned Enterprises, turned up to the Finance and Expenditure Committee today to justify their plans to partially privatise the state owned energy companies. With a little bit of creative licence, the exchange went something like this: Tony: We need to partially privatise them so that Government can raise capital to [...] read more
  June 22, 2011 4:46 pm - 14 Comments
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  Many questions, but no answers on Telecommunications bill - by frog

  
  
  
  Green MP Gareth Hughes had some questions for Communications Minister Steven Joyce in Parliament yesterday: Here was Steven Joyce’s reply: Nothing to say here. Nothing to say here. Nothing to say here. Nothing to say here. So Gareth tried again: Steven Joyce still wouldn’t take a call to respond. As Toad, one of our regular [...] read more
  June 17, 2011 6:46 pm - 10 Comments
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  More transparency on lobbying needed - by frog

  
  
  
  Is it the case that John Key’s government is so ideologically inspired, evidence averse or economically illiterate that economic policies that are bound to be disastrous for New Zealand get past the Cabinet table with little scrutiny? Or are there more sinister forces at play? Lobbying of public office holders has a major impact on the democratic process and lobbyists should be required to be transparent about their role. read more
  June 10, 2011 2:52 pm - 16 Comments
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  MacDoctor and me: We agree and disagree on ACC - by frog

  
  
  
  Medical practitioner and right wing blogger MacDoctor has three recent posts on the disastrous failings of ACC to provide entitlements to injured claimants. I couldn’t agree more with MacDoctor’s definition of the problem. But I disagree vehemently with his faux solution of privatisation. read more
  May 17, 2011 7:11 pm - 2 Comments
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  Back to the future with ACC experience rating - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  There are quite a number of nasty legislative and regulatory provisions coming into force today.  Among them are Nick Smith’s Experience Rating Regulations for ACC. Experience rating will result in an individual employer’s ACC levies being adjusted up or down on the basis of their work injury record.  The idea is supposedly that individual employers [...] read more
  April 1, 2011 2:01 pm - 4 Comments
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  Undercover of the earthquake - by frog

  
  
  
  Keith Ng at Public Address and Idiot/Savant at No Right Turn have both drawn attention today to a recent Treasury forecast (PDF) – the first since the February 22 Canterbury earthquake. They both note this chart produced by Treasury: Check out the blue line (post-earthquake) and the grey line (pre-earthquake) for the forecast impact on [...] read more
  March 23, 2011 7:34 pm - 107 Comments
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  Privatisation is not a hit – not even at Kiwiblog - by frog

  
  
  
  Even among those on the right who will dominate participation in Kiwiblog internet polls, there is no majority support for partial privatisation of the energy SOEs. A scientific 3 News Reid Research poll is showing public opposition to partial privatisation as high as 60%. Which makes sense really, because the idea is sheer economic lunacy. read more
  February 22, 2011 8:51 am - 44 Comments
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  ACC privatisation: Let the fightback begin - by frog

  
  
  
  I’ve run the “ACC: undermine, cut privatise” banner on a few posts on ACC over the last couple of years, and now we’re seeing the third leg of the trifecta emerging with the announcement yesterday that ACC’s work account is to be partially privatised. This may be good news for some employers, because in the [...] read more
  December 22, 2010 12:11 pm - 13 Comments
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  ACC “crisis” was all in Nick Smith’s head - by frog

  
  
  
  Remember the financial crisis with ACC? Remember Nick Smith describing ACC as “technically insolvent”, a claim that was rubbished at the time by NZ Herald economics editor Brian Fallow and actuary Jonathan Eriksen? Guess what? ACC is set to make a $2 billion surplus, and that’s before the levy increases and entitlement cuts have any impact, as they are only now beginning to phase in! read more
  June 28, 2010 9:38 am - 43 Comments
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  A privatisation lesson from an unlikely source - by frog

  
  
  
  Cameron (Whaleoil) Slater has been having a bleat about how he has been treated by the private insurer Fidelity Life, which has cut off his income protection insurance. Funny how those on the political right don’t seem to get it – until it affects them personally, that is. read more
  May 25, 2010 11:34 am - 37 Comments
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  National XT - by frog

  
  
  
  The real reason Telecom called their new network XT? read more
  February 28, 2010 8:16 am - 8 Comments
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  Save ACC ads - by frog

  
  
  
  There is a Save ACC rally at Parliament on 16 February to fight back against National’s cutbacks. The good people at the CTU have got these ads running at the Sevens: read more
  February 5, 2010 2:32 pm - 8 Comments
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  Submitting in your summer holiday - by frog

  
  
  
  As I predicted last week, the Government has allowed only a very short time for submissions on the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill – submissions close on 12 February 2010. This is a truly appalling Bill – it’s packed full of measures that undermine local democracy and promote the privatisation of Auckland’s assets. read more
  December 20, 2009 3:55 pm - 9 Comments
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  Rampant Rodney rogers Auckland - by frog

  
  
  
  Rodney Hide’s third supercity Bill, the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill, reveals a hardcore anti-democratic agenda for privatisation. read more
  December 15, 2009 8:41 am - 9 Comments
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  Levy hikes prelude to privatisation - by frog

  
  
  
  If ACC is made to work like an insurance company, then it’s a lot easier to flog bits of it off to insurance companies some time in the future. Levy hikes and entitlement cuts will undermine public confidence in ACC and soften up public opinion for the privatisation agenda. read more
  December 11, 2009 10:35 am - 2 Comments
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  Gutting ACC – Employer disunity over ACC privatisation - by frog

  
  
  
  Conflicting statements from business lobbyists reveal that there is no consensus amongst New Zealand business about the privatisation of ACC. Business New Zealand has issued a statement supporting foreign-owned insurance companies being able to compete with ACC in workplace accident compensation. They are at loggerheads with the Employers and Manufacturers Association, who oppose ACC privatisation. read more
  October 22, 2009 7:22 pm - 7 Comments
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  Gutting ACC – the secret agenda - by frog

  
  
  
  Introduce a $50 or $100 excess on every ACC claim? Try selling that one to someone on the minimum wage! Go to your local A&E clinic to get your cut finger stitched and a quarter of your take home income disappears – even if the accident happened at work and was because the employer’s equipment was faulty. read more
  October 19, 2009 9:30 am - 18 Comments
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  Don’t shoot the messenger - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  National’s tactics in the House this week, first from Health Minister Tony Ryall, and then from his Associate-Minister Jonathan Coleman (acting in Ryall’s absence) were to attempt to divert attention away from my questions about their privatisation agenda in Health by attacking the questioner (me). ‘Shooting the messenger’ is a classic case of the kind [...] read more
  July 30, 2009 2:34 pm - 15 Comments
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  Outsourcing Health No Solution - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  While the Government intends to increase DHB contracting with the private sector, we should instead first assess what capacity we have in the public sector; with proper logistics planning the public hospitals can do more work. Neither the Minister of Health nor the Ministry of Health has been able, under questioning at the Health Select [...] read more
  July 25, 2009 9:00 am - 58 Comments