Daily review 08/02/2023

24 comments on “Daily review 08/02/2023 ”

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1. weka 1

   8 February 2023 at 5:46 pm

   Lew with a roundup of Labour’s announced changes

   A Labour party explicitly doing things that are good for workers, well I never

   — Lew (@LewSOS) February 8, 2023

   I’m very pleased to see the job insurance scheme scrapped. It would have cemented in another long term layer of discrimination against beneficiaries
   • Patricia Bremner 1.1

     8 February 2023 at 6:03 pm

     Raising the minimum wage. Great.
2. Red Blooded One 2

   8 February 2023 at 6:09 pm

   Sad about the Hate Speech Law. Religious bad faith bigots win again. Hey ho.
   • roblogic 2.1

     8 February 2023 at 6:11 pm

     Ironically the only change mooted was going to be speech that abused people on the basis of their religion
     • Red Blooded One 2.1.1

       8 February 2023 at 6:23 pm

       https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/human-rights-act-enhanced-protect-religious-communities

       So is this not happening now?
       • roblogic 2.1.1.1

         8 February 2023 at 7:07 pm

         It's just been postponed, pending the Law Commission review. Not sure if it's Hipkins playing politics, more likely it's the govt trying to be extra careful.
         • Red Blooded One 2.1.1.1.1

           8 February 2023 at 7:26 pm

           And it was watered down in Nov 2022 to only protect religious groups, so they will win their pulpit protections.

           https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300743361/hate-speech-reforms-drastically-watered-down Sad since Nov 2022.

           I wrongly hoped for more.
   • SPC 2.2

     8 February 2023 at 10:04 pm

     Not with this – as protection of religion from hate speech is now being held back and included in the review. They were planning to include religion now (Ardern's wish to do something after the mosque killings) and leaving other areas until after a review (partly because of the continuing debate on self ID legislation and the ban on conversion therapy as per gender ID as well as sexuality – especially as it impacted on youth health services).

     https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-passes-law-banning-conversion-therapy-2022-02-15/
3. weka 3

   8 February 2023 at 6:16 pm

   Covid is really doing a number on humans. Humans aren’t helping the matter either.

   These conversations are getting more difficult. It’s different now, patients aren’t just distraught about being sick. There’s an added layer to the distress as it sinks in that they’ll now be among the disabled— the group of people that most of society has agreed to leave behind.

   — Dr. Lisa Iannattone (@lisa_iannattone) February 8, 2023
   • aj 3.1

     8 February 2023 at 8:55 pm

     Humans aren’t helping the matter either.

     I cannot comprehend the current lack of masking in crowded situations.
     • weka 3.1.1

       8 February 2023 at 9:37 pm

       same. Nor the slowness on sorting out ventilation systems, and changing habits.
4. roblogic 4

   8 February 2023 at 7:24 pm

   Absolutely brilliant piece in the Atlantic recently, about Edward Jenner, inventor of the first real vaccine (smallpox). He was met with vast scepticism and crazy antivax rhetoric. But the numbers were undeniable – the "scourge of mankind", that had about a 33% fatality rate, was effectively stopped it in its tracks by Jenner's vaccine.

   Since October 26, 1977, no naturally occurring smallpox cases have been recorded. In 1980, the WHO announced that smallpox, which had killed about 300 million people in the 20th century alone, had finally been eradicated. […]

   In 2022, the medical journal The Lancet published an analysis of which variables best predicted the rates of COVID infection across 177 countries. Outside wealth, one of the most powerful variables was trust in government among the public. “Trust is a shared resource that enables networks of people to do collectively what individual actors cannot,” the authors of the Lancet paper wrote.
5. bwaghorn 5

   8 February 2023 at 7:30 pm

   https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300802201/recap-prime-minister-chris-hipkins-reveals-details-of-policy-shakeup-defends-cuts

   Bit of a shame labours axed the one policy I liked

   The workplace insurance scheme would have made life way easier for me the two times I was laid off.
   • SPC 5.1

     8 February 2023 at 7:54 pm

     There are income insurance schemes available already (for those who can afford it after paying rent or mortgage).
     • bwaghorn 5.1.1

       8 February 2023 at 8:16 pm

       I prefer a not for profit government system like acc.
       • Patricia Bremner 5.1.1.1

         8 February 2023 at 8:28 pm

         It is delayed, not dead.
   • Graeme 5.2

     8 February 2023 at 8:27 pm

     The unfortunate trade off with redundancy insurance would be more restructuring / lay-offs because the pain wouldn't be as great.

     But that's what the policy was about, a looming man redundancy in the workforce as automation replaces human workers. As usual humans, particularly the right of the spectrum, won't prepare for an inevitable crisis. In this case business has kicked up a stink that they have to contribute and want to socialise the costs onto everyone else, so it’s coming out of taxes now. The insurance idea was to pre-pay the cost and get it off the Government’s books. Will be fun to see how it plays out if a big redundancy lands in National’s lap.

     Pulling / defeating compulsory redundancy insurance is pretty much an admission that any New Zealand government won't be able to do much to moderate the affects of climate change
     • weka 5.2.1

       8 February 2023 at 9:40 pm

       if automation is going to lessen the number of jobs, how does the insurance scheme transition society? If someone gets 7 months of 80% wages, then has to go on the dole because there isn't another job, what then?
     • SPC 5.2.2

       8 February 2023 at 9:43 pm

       It would help smooth the government budget with less transfer to tax paid benefits during a recession.

       But fair pay agreements including better redundancy provisions would also help.

       PS The issue of automation taking jobs is not a problem when there is a shortage of workers and a lack of infrastructure for higher population levels.

       The focus needs to be on improving tax revenues on corporate profits and wealth to sustain public finances.
   • James Thrace 5.3

     8 February 2023 at 8:36 pm

     Darien Fenton had a redundancy bill prior to 2008 that I believe got to first reading.

     that put the onus of paying redundancy squarely on the employers (where it should be)

     the rationale was that if MNCs made employees redundant, they would be more inclined to redeploy workers rather than pay 12 weeks redundancy as Dariens bill proposed.

     im all in favour of making ACC cover illness and disability as Owen Woodhouse originally proposed. The healthcare offered under ACC is usually far superior to that offered under MoH.
     • Incognito 5.3.1

       8 February 2023 at 8:53 pm

       Thanks!

       Here it is: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/49HansS_20100505_00001049/fenton-darien-employment-relations-statutory-minimum.
       • James Thrace 5.3.1.1

         9 February 2023 at 8:12 am

         Thats the one. Golly, 2010 seems a lifetime ago now. I would support that (and I suspect given the uber profits being made by MNCs) as would many other voters. Expanding ACC to cover illness and disability is a no brainer.
6. SPC 6

   8 February 2023 at 9:57 pm

   Government post flood action should probably include bridging finance before insurance payouts and interest free loans to those without insurance.

   There is this move as per housing

   The Government has activated its Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) to help flood-affected Aucklanders in need.

   The TAS "assists households affected by a natural disaster to find safe, secure and accessible temporary accommodation while their home is repaired or rebuilt".

   https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/02/08/akl-flooding-govt-activates-temporary-accommodation-support/

   Those with space on the section could consider tents, caravans (especially where bathrooms and kitchens still function) and camper vans while remedial work is done. Or small mobile homes (beyond summer autumn). Otherwise using space provided on other section land.
7. Thinker 7

   9 February 2023 at 2:00 pm

   From today's ONE NEWS website: "Auckland's mayor Wayne Brown has met with US Ambassador to New Zealand Tom Udall, the first foreign envoy Brown has met since he was elected. This meeting emphasises "the importance Mayor Brown and Auckland Council place on the relationship with the United States," the mayor's office said."

   "…Sorry, guys, no tennis for me tomorrow. I gotta talk to the US Ambassador drongo…"

   Yeah, Right.

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