The Failed Estate: Kabuki Economics

Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, May 13th, 2018 - 19 comments
Categories: australian politics, Economy, International, Media - Tags:

Reprinted with permission from the Failed Estate.

One of the first budgets I covered as a journalist spelt the end of the career of the man who delivered it.

John Dawkins, who had been finance minister in the formidable first Hawke cabinet of 1983, had finally achieved his ambition of taking the treasury portfolio after Paul Keating rolled Bob Hawke for the prime ministership in 1991.

Two years later, Dawkins was gone. He quit politics after the debacle that was the 1993 budget. This is when Keating went back on the L-A-W tax cut promise he had made before his ‘true believers’ election victory against Hewson that year.

In the months after the budget (the last one delivered in August), the program stalled in the Senate. With memories still fresh of the supply crisis of 1974, financial markets became skittish and the Australian dollar sank to around 64 US cents, a then seven-year low. (Recall, Australia was just coming out of recession then).

Having anchored the editing for a US financial newswire inside the lock-up, I recall the real work began in the weeks afterward, filing headline ‘snaps’ to trading screens from our reporters at Canberra doorstops where Keating or Dawkins would be fired questions about budget negotiations. It was pretty shambolic.

These days, it’s hard to imagine financial markets getting anywhere near as excited about an Australian budget. Most of the key measures are flagged well ahead of the event and the bond markets are telegraphed the financing task. In any case, as a ‘AAA’- rated borrower these days Australia finds no shortage of demand among global pension funds for its relatively high yielding bonds. Yes, our public debt has doubled in five years, but it still pales in absolute and proportionate terms to the liabilities of major economies, including the USA.

This means Australia is rarely on the radar of global markets, living off its reputation as a well-run economy with sound public finances, and two major parties broadly committed to the (albeit now shopsoiled) Washington consensus of independent monetary policy, fiscal responsibility, open markets and a commitment to free trade. Put another way, compared to the ‘Breaking Bad’ dramas over Trump, Brexit, the  European monetary union and the fiscal and monetary policy experiments elsewhere post-GFC, Australia (with 27 years of uninterrupted growth) looks like another episode of ‘Law and Order’.

So why is the Australian budget still treated as such a big deal, with hundreds of journalists and analysts flocking to Canberra for a high-security, highly expensive six-hour lock-up? We’ve seen that the markets don’t care much anymore, most of the detail is strategically leaked in the weeks beforehand to sympathetic journalists to maximise coverage and much of the variance in the bottom line from one update to the next is due to exogenous factors beyond the government’s control.

After suggesting the media collectively boycott the whole circus, I had a back-and-forth on Twitter about this with ABC commentator Annabel Crabb, who made the point that it would be hard for her and others to offer an informed opinion about the budget without the lock-up. My response to that is, firstly, why should we be hanging out for their opinion anyway? Sure, share your thoughts by all means but what makes journalists’ insights any more special than anyone else’s, other than the fact they’ve had a six-hour head-start in reading the documents? Keep in mind the entire budget is available online these days within a minute or two of the treasurer getting to his feet. If you know where do look it doesn’t take long to get up to speed.

Understandably, Ms Crabb wants to offer her viewers an informed, considered view, not a “hot take”. But perhaps if the budget was just released without a lock-up (as most countries do BTW),  journalists would go back to the traditional order – first report the facts, THEN offer expert analysis and THEN tell us your opinion once everybody has absorbed the information in real time. The danger with the lock-up is that the coverage expands to fit the investment in the occasion. In other words, it suits the political class to corral the media for a whole day so it can control the message and it suits the media, having made such an investment in the theatre of the budget (like an opening night on Broadway), to preserve the exclusivity of access that the lock-up provides. Disintermediation, digital media and the real-time access that everybody has to the key documents only makes the established insiders more defensive on this score.

I’d also argue that the mutual back-scratching around the budget puts the media at risk of being complicit with the government rhetoric about “running the economy” and “creating jobs”. The depiction of luck as skill suits the insiders. This latest budget, for instance, shows that a $26 billion windfall since the last fiscal update in December is funding another round of the now ritual pre-election tax cuts.  A good chunk of that turnaround was due to a synchronisedglobal upswing in the other developed economies as they finally emerged from the post-GFC slump. The rest was an overdue rebalancing of our domestic economy after the post-mining boom hangover.

So as much as the media wants to personalise the budget process (Scott at the controls like Kirk in the Starship Enterprise), the reality is the government is not ‘in charge’ of the economy. And that’s why this trend of making 10-year projections beyond the four-year forward estimates is just nonsense. This latest three-phase tax cut, culminating in a virtual flat tax regime by 2024, is particularly silly. Imagine Peter Costello, in the midst of the commodity boom of the early 2000s and money coming out of his ears, projecting tax cuts for 2008. What could go wrong?

The truth is the Australian economy is a tiny cork on a big, heaving ocean. We’re a minor-to-middling political power, which largely outsources its foreign policy to Washington. Our political culture is increasingly a pale imitation of the partisan 24/7 shouting that dominates Washington (minus the guns). Our thinktanks import their spotty libertarian thought-bubbles from across the Pacific and our pop culture is almost entirely derivative. For all the noise and gnashing and wailing of teeth, the budget deficit swings around 1-2% of GDP most years. Our debt of 20% of GDP compares with levels of 80,90, 100% and more in other developed economies. The political argy-bargy and column inches filled is way out of proportion to the global significance of it all.

If there’s a story in this budget it’s connected to a bigger one about the exhaustion of the three-decade neoliberal experiment globally. Once governments have privatised everything and outsourced it all and transferred every single risk to the shoulders of individuals (so they are ‘free’), what’s left? Politicians are reduced to tedious, train-spotting arguments about revenue-to-GDP ratios and “the path back to surplus” (the economic equivalent of waiting for Godot). Outside economics, they are left to fight manufactured culture wars to fuel the permanent outrage machine at News Corp – hence the entirely ideological budget cuts for the ABC and the quarter of a billion dollar ‘chaplains’ program. Even the tax cuts serve an ideological purpose, sold in the American style as “it’s the people’s money and it’s government’s job to get out of their lives”, language that is totally alien to Australia’s social democratic tradition.

With the politics ritualised, so is the media coverage. Panels of talking heads tediously debate the political strategy and whether the tax cuts will shift Newspoll. The images are always the same – the treasurer in shirt sleeves strolling through the lock-up and chumming up with our favourite commentators, the piece to camera above the huddled journos, perched over the books like anxious students in an HSC exam (“pens down, time’s up!) the references to the “centrepiece pitch to middle Australia”, the PowerPoint presentations, the well-rehearsed talking points from the rival political players – it’s beyond boilerplate.

Of course, there are real stories in the effect the budget measures have on people  beyond Canberra. But you don’t hear them beyond the hastily constructed and clumsy family-at-home-in-front-of-the-telly voxpops. As Bernard Keane observed in Crikey, the budget is now a parlour game for the political class, a highly ritualised and abstract exercise totally divorced from the real-world impacts of the taxing and spending decisions. The game is now so airless and artificial that politicians set as their benchmarks for success arbitrary revenue targets that bear no resemblance to anything anyone cares about or connects with, which I guess is the whole point.

In the meantime, it is no wonder people are switching off and searching for a political movement that returns to the public a sense of their own agency, that protects and strengths our social infrastructure and that purges our exhausted political conversation of the dead Hayekian worldview that created this mess.

It’s time to close the curtain on kabuki economics.

19 comments on “The Failed Estate: Kabuki Economics ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. lprent 1
    13 May 2018 at 9:57 am

    Great post. I love it.

    • mickysavage 1.1
      13 May 2018 at 10:07 am

      He is a phenomenally good writer who blogs occasionally. He has a really good grasp of media and also financial issues.

      • dukeofurl 1.1.1
        13 May 2018 at 11:57 am

        Doesnt mention that Australias Treasury talks about budgets on a ‘cash basis’ while their Finance department ( which handles the spending side) talks about the numbers on an accrual basis ( the same as we do)

        The previous budget had a deficit of $35-40 bill ( cash) but only a deficit of $8 bill ( accrual)
        Other complications are the GST revenue is distributed to the States for their own spending. For strange reasons people like OECD dont count this as ‘expenditure’

        On top of that the Federal Government runs a sort of ‘off the books infrastructure spending’ ( but not a PPP).
        Maybe we adopt that as well?

        A quirk of their constitution ( like the recent many Mps and Senators who we disqualified for dual citizenship) meant that Federal Government funding for state schools ‘chaplains’ was deemed illegal
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_School_Chaplaincy_Programme
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_v_Commonwealth

        They kept providing the funding ( $250 mill plus) by work arounds rather than curtailing it ( including 100s of other programs) and that first work around was later ruled invalid. Finally the chaplains were funded by the states directly who were then funded by the Commonwealth.

  2. Ad 2
    13 May 2018 at 10:23 am

    I would rather have a boring political media together due to a very stable state, flourishing society, strong democracy, and strong economy, than what most other countries in the world have. That in the end is what this writer is complaining about. He may not enjoy the political economy of Kabuki, but I suspect he wouldn’t like the political economy of Sepultra either.

    • mickysavage 2.1
      13 May 2018 at 10:31 am

      Does a flourishing society require the continuation of traditional budget customs?

      • Ad 2.1.1
        13 May 2018 at 10:49 am

        It doesn’t really require politics as described above, at all.

        It’s definitely up to politicians and political parties to refresh the political order.

        But predictable and well-forecast budgets are far more preferable than massive surprises.

    • greywarshark 2.2
      13 May 2018 at 10:42 am

      Ad
      So it’s one or the other is it. TINA – again? What about a handcrafted, fit for purpose economic and political system? Any skilled craftspeople to make this delicious delectable pavlova all of our own, that is craved and enjoyed by the rest of the world?

      • Ad 2.2.1
        13 May 2018 at 10:55 am

        You’re confusing your preferred political system, from the focus of the piece which is political media.

        The writer of the piece is full of the spent and cynical ennui that perpetuates what he is complaining about.

        For the multiple platforms now available to engage the public about politics, his writing shows only that he has no imagination nor any will to imagine any alternatives. He sounds like Bob Dylan in the Time Out Of Mind phase:

        People on the platforms
        Waiting for the trains
        I can hear their hearts a-beatin’
        Like pendulums swinging on chains
        I tried to give you everything
        That your heart was longing for
        I’m just going down the road feeling bad
        Trying to get to heaven before they close the door

        • fender 2.2.1.1
          13 May 2018 at 12:30 pm

          The verse you quoted from the song Trying Yo Get To Heaven from the album Time Out Of Mind actually goes like this:

          “People on the platforms, waitin’ for the trains.
          I can hear their hearts a-beatin’, like pendulum swingin’ on chains.
          When you think that you’ve lost everything,
          You find out you can always lose a little more.
          I’m just going down the road feelin’ bad,
          Tryin’ to get to heaven before they close the door.”

          Here’s the full song:

          “The air is gettin’ hotter, there’s a rumblin’ in the skies.
          I’ve been wadin’ through the high muddy waters,
          But the heat riseth in my eyes.
          Everyday your memory goes dimmer,
          It doesn’t haunt me like it did before.
          I’ve been walkin’ through the middle of nowhere,
          Tryin’ to get to heaven before they close the door.

          When I was in Missouri, they would not let me be.
          I had to leave there in a hurry, I only saw what they let me see.
          You broke a heart that loved you,
          Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore.
          I’ve been walkin’ that lonesome valley,
          Tryin’ to get to heaven before they close the door.

          People on the platforms, waitin’ for the trains.
          I can hear their hearts a-beatin’, like pendulum swingin’ on chains.
          When you think that you’ve lost everything,
          You find out you can always lose a little more.
          I’m just going down the road feelin’ bad,
          Tryin’ to get to heaven before they close the door.

          …

          I’m goin’ down the river, down to New Orleans.
          They tell me everything is gonna be all right,
          But I don’t know what all right even means.
          I was ridin’ in a buggy with Miss Mary Jane,
          Miss Mary Jane got a house in Baltimore.
          I’ve been all around the world boys,
          I’m tryin’ to get to heaven before they close the door.

          Gotta sleep down in the parlor, and relive my dreams.
          I close my eyes and I wonder, if everything is as hollow as it seems.
          Some trains don’t pull no gamblers,
          No midnight ramblers like they did before.
          I’ve been to Sugartown, I shook the sugar down,
          Now I’m tryin’ to get to heaven before they close the door.”

          Can you please explain how this masterpiece of a song “sounds like” the writer of this article?

          • Ad 2.2.1.1.1
            13 May 2018 at 12:51 pm

            My quote was taken from the official Bob Dylan website.
            It was that set of lyrics that I chose, rather than the better-known popular version that you quote.

            https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/trying-get-heaven/

            The specific quoted verse I chose speaks of melancholy, longing, resistance, world-weariness, of observing that same tiredness in ordinary people.

            Tell you what, put the song on and re-read the piece at the same time.

            • fender 2.2.1.1.1.1
              13 May 2018 at 1:31 pm

              Your interpretation of the song isn’t inaccurate. Just don’t see how it relates to an article about the media drama surrounding budget day that resembles a bizarre Kabuki play or the americanised Kabuki dance

              • Ad …
                13 May 2018 at 1:35 pm

                That means you suffer from the same failed imagination that the post complains about. Which is apposite.

                • fender …
                  13 May 2018 at 2:00 pm

                  The post doesn’t complain about a failed imagination, it complains about a superfluous media frenzy surrounding budget day.

      • greywarshark 2.2.2
        13 May 2018 at 5:30 pm

        Yeah I am confused all right. The words that pour out from our mouths or from under our fingers, some of them obviously correct and doable but never acted on, must be a Pavlovian response to the concept of freedom of expression.

        The Russians and Chinese have really nothing to worry about if letting the peeps appear to have the right to air ideas, as the pipeline is blocked along a way where the clamp is out of sight. Is there any meaning in all this – will we ever get results, small significant changes that help us where we are right now?

  3. greywarshark 3
    13 May 2018 at 10:38 am

    wow that is a great thinkpiece. And the meaning of kabuki, stylised Japanese theatre mostly performed by males, that is a great analogy.

    We may have to pass everything that happens to us and that we do before a reality checking program to see how well it serves us as humans, and the program will have a call sign of Where is the love? That sounds risible, but only because it cuts through the stolid practicality process to questions of what is our life about, not just as a system that produces statistics that tell us how we are doing while we are being.

    Where is the Love – three different approaches showing our human
    creativity on this important thing
    The Black-Eyed Peas
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc
    or Roberta Flack
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcHPNUN-U8E
    or this is really street stuff ( but is it niceness?)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc4xpsNsbyA

  4. dukeofurl 4
    13 May 2018 at 4:06 pm

    What has fascinated me is all the talk of the ‘$1 Bill funding boost’ for Foreign affairs including aid budget.

    These things are too complicated for the media who dont tell how many years this is over ( 4 years) or even what we are spending now

    National wasnt so shy about its election promises about aid for the pacific
    $644 mill of aid in 2017/18 , most of that for pacific
    and ‘The present three-year $1.7b New Zealand
    Aid Programme ‘

    Its tucked away in their election policy factsheets
    https://www.national.org.nz/foreign_affairs

    Its a classic budget strategy, repackage your opponents programs with a bit of ‘ jiggery pokery’ which shifts money from one area to another and call it an increase but mostly all thats happened is extend for a year.

    Much is made of the Stockhom embassy, but McCulley opened embassys in Dublin (?) , Baghdad and Bogota(?)

  5. Nic the NZer 5
    14 May 2018 at 8:17 am

    http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=33365

    Explains why the whole AAA thing is an irrelevant cherade.

  6. Tracey 6
    14 May 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Imagine if the media reported facts first… if only John Lennon had paused

  7. Philg 7
    14 May 2018 at 7:53 pm

    Yes, the media has become Theatre, Entertainment.RNZ’s Jim Mora describes ‘The Panel ‘ as ‘The News of the day in a different way’ Just give it straight Jim. We don’t need bias, trivia and opinion. Just give us the news, the whole news and not a selective version of it.

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    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
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    5 days ago

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