Morning Report asked Paula Bennett why the public sector had been cut out of the 9 day fortnight scheme this morning and her answer was that it was for businesses that have been hit by the effects of the recession and the public service doesn’t fall into that category.
That’s not true. Crown owned company TVNZ is very much being hit by the recession as its ad revenues fall (well, the recession and the government’s bloody-minded decision to demand a dividend). Some SOEs may also qualify.
Bennett’s response is the only attempt to explain why it is only private business that receives this subsidy I have heard from the the government. And it’s clearly wrong.
Instead of being so slippery the government needs to come clean and admit that the real reason they are not extending the scheme to the public sector is that they are ideologically opposed to the government being involved in society.
But that would be admitting that they were a government of rogernomes and crony-capitalists. No votes in that, eh?
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