The upcoming Budget is an opportunity for the Government to show it does prioritise mothers and their new-borns by increasing the support available to them, National’s Social Investment spokesperson Louise Upston says. “If this Government is truly serious about improving the wellbeing of every child in New Zealand, then
The Government should change the rules around emergency accommodation to require motels to provide data about who they are housing to the Ministry of Social Development, National’s Social Development spokesperson Louise Upston says. “It’s unacceptable the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) doesn’t collect enough data around who’
Labour’s so-called Fair Pay Agreements are an ideologically-driven project without any sound analytical basis, National’s Workplace Relations spokesperson Scott Simpson says. “It is acknowledged in the Cabinet Paper that the FPA could lead directly to businesses having to cut costs by reducing staff numbers and hours or even
It’s disappointing the Government has chosen to block an inquiry into the increasing violence being experienced in our prisons, National’s Corrections spokesperson Simeon Brown says. Mr Brown says that since Kelvin Davis became Minister of Corrections there has been a 92 per cent increase in prisoner assaults on
The Government is putting regional roading projects and important safety improvements across the country at risk by raiding the National Land Transport Fund to invest more in rail, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says. “Kiwis across the country have been paying more at the pump in fuel taxes they
New Zealand has a truancy crisis as new figures show almost 40 per cent of students did not attend school regularly in term four of 2020, National’s Education spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says. “Given there has been a serious fall in regular attendance at schools over the past five years,
Darroch Ball Co-Leader/Spokesperson Sensible Sentencing Trust The Sensible Sentencing Trust is calling on the government to introduce body cameras for all frontline police officers. “With more and more officers being attacked and constant online cell-phone footage of alleged violent arrests with little or no context – body cameras is a
Yesterday the Labour Government blocked an inquiry into the Mental Health and Addiction Services annual report calling into question once again its openness and transparency, National’s Mental Health spokesperson Matt Doocey says. New Zealanders deserve to have confidence in the Ministry of Health, so yesterday Mr Doocey called for
The Government has been forced to take drastic action and freeze public sector pay because it’s allowed the number of Wellington bureaucrats to swell up to an unsustainable size, National’s spokesperson for Public Service Mark Mitchell says. “If Labour wants to reduce costs it only has to look
The Deputy Prime Minister appears to be pushing ahead with an implementation unit without any idea of what that unit will actually deliver, Shadow Treasurer Andrew Bayly says. “It remains unclear what this implementation unit will actually do, other than add another layer of taxpayer-funded bureaucracy to the public service
News that unemployment has fallen from 4.9 per cent to 4.7 per cent will provide no comfort for the almost 200,000 New Zealanders on the Jobseeker benefit, National’s Social Development and Employment spokesperson Louise Upston says. “While it’s positive the unemployment figure has decreased, albeit
Dr David Cumin Free Speech Union The Free Speech Coalition is relaunching as a trade union under the name “Free Speech Union” and has successfully registered under the Employment Relations Act. “That name is not ironic”, says Dr David Cumin, a founding member of the Union’s Council. “We think
It is deeply disappointing that the Government has not agreed to National’s call for a new Covid-19 Select Committee, National’s Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop says. National’s proposal was to establish a committee, based on the Epidemic Response Committee, which successfully held the Government to account on
Trevor Mallard has confirmed he is unfit to be Parliament’s Speaker by failing to answer several important questions relating to the false rape accusation saga that cost taxpayers more than $330,000, Shadow Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “Trevor Mallard failed to justify his actions before Parliament
The Government’s proposed Maori Health Authority is simply not about generating better health outcomes for Maori, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Dr Shane Reti says. “In Question Time, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health both rejected the need for a Pasifika Health Authority despite the government’s
As we embark on Phase 3 of the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out plan, new data shows New Zealand is ranked as low as 116th in the world in terms of vaccination doses administered, National’s Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop says. “New Zealanders were promised we would be at the front
