(ed:..i will post a commentary at the close of proceedings..)
Questions to Ministers
1)..SIMON BRIDGES to the Minister of Finance: What measures is the Government taking to responsibly manage its finances and reduce the build-up in debt?
..’responsibly managing finances’..
(ed:..is that shorthand for increasing govt debt from $6 billion..to over $50 billion..?..borrowing to pay for large tax cuts for the richest)
..(coleman gets a special cricked-kneck award…for his desperate attempts to be in joyces’ shot…)
parker attacks the woeful treasury oversight of the govt-guarantee..that saw all those 1% piling in for govt-money…
..where just on sth canterbury finance those greedy/unconscionable bastards troughed up more money than has been paid out in all treaty-settlements to date…
..(that to me is one of the gobsmacking facts of that particular clusterfuck by the 1% on the rest of us…)
2)..CHARLES CHAUVEL to the Attorney-General: Were the Prosecution Guidelines dated 1 January 2010 applied to the decision not to prosecute Mr Ambrose over the Tea Tape complaint?
finlayson tries not to answer..speaker tells him to answer..finlayson then refuses to do what the speaker has asked him..
..chauvel is boring in/down on finlayson..
..the speaker caves in findlaysons favour..(!)
..chauvel claims the decision was made a week ago…and held off until key was out of the country..
..chauvel is asking if a deal was done for ambrose to withdraw his claims for costs..in return for prosecution to be dropped..
..speaker backs a smirking finlaysons’ refusal to answer..
3)..TIM MACINDOE to the Minister for Social Development: How will the Government’s proposed welfare changes give greater flexibility to support beneficiaries back into work?
bennett announces more flexibility in hours beneficiaries can be asked to work..
4)..Hon TREVOR MALLARD to the Minister for ACC: Does she stand by her answers to all supplementary questions to Oral Questions No. 2 and No. 9 yesterday?
collins says privacy commissioner is now investigation the source of the pullar-details leak..
..mallard seems to have set a trap for collins..getting her to answer a range of questions about a simon lusk..and converations re acc leaks with him…
5)..Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Finance: Has the Treasury underestimated the forecast lost profits to the Crown from the sale of State-owned energy companies in light of Mighty River Power’s enhanced earnings and dividend announcement?
norman is citing the income losses from asset-sales..and profits flowing offshore
..norman is doing a good job on joyce….(who has no answers to the different loss-scenarios posted by norman..)
..the economic insanity of forgoing returns of 18% on assets..on borrowing costs of 4%..
6)..MIKE SABIN to the Minister of Corrections: What reports has she received about the amount of drug use in prisons?
..tested positive numbers down..
7)..RICHARD PROSSER to the Minister for Primary Industries: Does he have confidence in New Zealand’s current biosecurity arrangements?
prosser flounders around..seemingly unable to realise his question should be directed to minister for customs..
(there are 15 drug dogs/handlers in prisons…and only five biosecurity dogs working for customs..)
(heckle or jeckle..(nathan guy..)i can’t remember which one..makes a real mess of his answers..generates trans-ideological laughter..)
8)..DAVID BENNETT to the Minister of Transport: What is the Government doing to reduce compliance costs for motorists?
gerry ‘the finn’ brownlee says something…
9)..GARETH HUGHES to the Minister of Conservation: How many adult Maui’s dolphins are estimated to be alive today and can she guarantee that on her watch no more Maui’s dolphins will die of human-induced causes?
..talks about nets..
10)..Hon PHIL GOFF to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What is the cost budgeted for this financial year of the 30 or more positions in the Change Programme Office within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consultants engaged by the Ministry on the change process?
..$9.2 million..(!)…in a ‘failed change process’….
..murray ‘seagull’ mccully again blames his chief executive…
(it is astonishing that mccully is now claiming no responsibility for this amazing cock-up…
..when he has the reputation of being an obsessive micro-manager in anything he does..)
11)..KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI to the Minister of Statistics: What information has he received on preparations for the 2013 Census?
to be held in march next year..
12)..Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister for Economic Development: Is the Government considering legislative or regulatory concessions with respect to SkyCity Casino in order to build an international convention centre; if so, why?…”
increasing poker machines..extending sky city lease..taxing less on casinos..
..new zealand gambling laws are for sale…
(joyce gets a weasel-word-award for claiming cunliffe being against more pokie-machines because he is against employment ..)
mallard calls the closed-door negotiations as ‘corrupt’…(ed:..and he does have a point..)
summary:
norman gets performer of the day..and cunnliffe did ok…
..otherwise the comentary says all that needs saying..
..a 3.5/10 questiontime..
