Who is undermining the Government’s approach to reducing smoking rates?

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, November 6th, 2024 - 11 comments
Categories: casey costello, health, nz first, uncategorized - Tags:

Casey Costello’s problems have hit the media again after internal emails referring to the research material she relied on to justify the tax reduction on heated tobacco products as “crap”.

From One News:

One of the Associate Health Minister’s top officials has slammed the evidence Casey Costello used to justify giving heated tobacco products a tax cut.

In internal emails seen by 1News, Ministry of Health chief advisor of epidemiology, Fiona Callaghan, described the Associate Health Minister’s information as selective, out of date, and some of it “crap”.

In July Costello said the Government would set aside $216 million it may need to pay for a 50% cut to the excise tax on heated tobacco products.

Costello got independent advice that she said showed heated tobacco products will help people quit cigarettes.

The Ministry of Health’s chief adviser epidemiology reviewed the Minister’s independent evidence – five documents in all.

In internal emails, Callaghan told her colleagues that one was OK, and another good but now well out of date.

“It’s not so much that all of the studies are crap…” she also wrote.

“It’s more that it is a small number of selective research, not up to date, and certainly don’t form any sort of robust evidence review and don’t represent current evidence.”

Costello responded by publicly going onto the offensive:

Again from One News:

Costello told 1News the emails show “yet again, officials undermining the Government’s harm-reduction approach to reducing smoking rates”.

“I have spoken to the Director-General about the importance of maintaining public sector standards of integrity and political neutrality,” she said in a statement.

A Ministry of Health spokesperson told 1News the Director-General had apologised to Costello and that the official’s comments “were from an internal exchange of emails and were not an official Ministry position”.

The public servants are at a disadvantage. They cannot defend themselves. It appears they cannot even express privately strongly held views in the fear that the Minister will attack them publicly if those views become public.

This follows an appalling attack on a public servant by Winston Peters in Parliament who complained that she had not declared that she was a close relative of Labour’s Ayesha Verrall. If that is the test then New Zealand being the sort of place that it is there will be lots and lots of people having to declare these relationships.

And there is an extreme double standard being applied by the Government.

If you are a public servant related to a member of the opposition then even though there is no apparent need to do so your identity should be declared.

But if your sister in law works for British American Tobacco or your party’s ex chief of staff is now external relations manager for Philip Morris or your ex director of operations and research is now Philip Morris’ director of external affairs then apparently there is no problem.

Costello is clearly feeling the pressure. And she should. In a properly functioning democracy she would have been sacked.

11 comments on “Who is undermining the Government’s approach to reducing smoking rates? ”

  1. newsense 1
    6 November 2024 at 9:17 am

    Sky we are in need

    for the love of god send us some satirists

    Not all crap minister claims some of it was piss and there was also a piece of chewing gum that had passed straight through.

    The PM has no control.

    Reply
  2. Kay 2
    6 November 2024 at 9:49 am

    Is Costello genuinely thick, delusional, or just bought out? Or a bit of each? I know genuinely delusional people who are more on the ball and can even exercise common sense.

    Reply
  3. tWig 3
    6 November 2024 at 12:09 pm

    According to today's Stuff paper, Brownlee made Luxon apologise in the House about accusing Verrall's sister-in-law. Why Peters didn't get caught too, I don't know. Perhaps because Peters is a wily politico, and Luxon has no clue about political reefs.

    Reply
  4. Incognito 4
    6 November 2024 at 12:15 pm

    Classic defence of an inept individual: take aim at the messenger.

    Reply
  5. tWig 5
    6 November 2024 at 11:26 pm

    Caught this elsewhere: "Costello…is that the MP for Marlboro?", hehe.

    Reply
  6. Mike the Lefty 6
    7 November 2024 at 11:50 am

    Notice to all public servants: The government requires you to be honest and give them balanced and constructive criticism on all policy matters referred to you – as long as you tell them what they want to hear.

    Failure to do so and you will be out on your arse.

    Reply
    • Tony Veitch 6.1
      7 November 2024 at 12:35 pm

      Or, as someone said (it sounds like Groucho Marx), when I want your opinion, I'll tell you what it is.

      Reply
    • thinker 6.2
      7 November 2024 at 5:29 pm

      …not forgetting that plenty have been out on their arses who were doing their jobs properly.

      Putting yourself in the minds of today's demonised public servants, I guess they don't have much to lose by speaking out, sadly.

      Reply
  7. Georgecom 7
    7 November 2024 at 12:21 pm

    Whos undermining costello?

    Common sense and evidence based research i would say.

    Reply

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