Question Time 21.05.2025

Dakta and Gary are planning to attend the next sitting session. 3rd and 4th June. I might attend, but Dakta wants to eyeball the Prime Omelette. Last day before the budget. Motion for a debate on Gaza was denied. Chloe burned some political capital to introduce it during the first question. 1. Chippy to Prime Omelette C 6, PO 3 'not getting rid of collective bargaining' - Omelette. 'Shortchanging NZ women workers' - Chippy. 'Petty line of questioning' - Omelette. 'This is a government that cares about working people' - Omelette. 'Answer the question' - Gary Supplementaries attacking the opposition. Following that, Chloe launched several questions about Gaza. Luxon: 'we expect the free flow of humanitarian assistance' Signed a document with 20 (or 23) other nations. Is it a genocide? 'for others to determine' - Luxon 'Do something about it' - Chloe *** Lots of prominent people were around today. Lloyd Burr stuck around for most of it, and the Press Gallery was unusually full. Gary and John Campbell had a chat before our after-Parliament sesh. Reminiscing about the Last Resort. JT was there as a guest of the Speaker. **** 2. Bidois to Nicola DB 5 , NW 5 Downward trajectory for Crown debt (government debt). 45.6% of GDP servicing debt by 2026? 'We are a small economy ... dependent on international debt markets' - Nicola 3. Carmel to Grigg CS 8, NG 4 Pay equity. The Minister for Women (Grigg) was notified the day before the law changes were introduced under urgency. 'only a small amount of agencies' were given information. - Grigg Did she consult with officials within her own agency? 'I was consulted ... I am responsible for that agency' - Grigg 4. Marama to Prime Omelette MD 7, PO 3 Austerity agenda. 'They're either leaving the country or killing themselves' - Gary. Oranga Tamariki questions. The Omelette praised the Minister, saying that 'it had been an underperforming organisation for years' - Omelette. Deflecting blame. 5. Nakhle to Bish RN 4, CB 4 $461 million to retain the Rail Freight Network. 'years and years of underinvestment' in Auckland and Wellington rail. There was a $400 million increase in that spending as well. 6. Barbara to Nicola BE 6, NW 4 'New Zealand's economy at risk' - Nicola. $479 million in tax breaks for tech giants. 7. Mooney to Upston JM 5 , LU 5 Tourism. 85% of pre-Covid levels. National wants 100%. Targeting Australians with a new campaign: 'everyone must go' Jetstar is launching three new Australia-New Zealand routes, connecting the gold coast to Te-Ika-A-Maui. 'Every time a tourist comes to NZ ... it's good for jobs, good for growth ... NZ is open for business' - Louise.

8. Stephenson to Pink Skull TS 4, PS 4 Regulatory Standards Bill. Big speeches from the Pink Skull, who quipped that he wasn't a 'simple man' when told to shorten his answers. Hand cramp! 9. Willow-Jean to Stanford WJP 6, ES 4 Pay equity in education. 'Pretty fucking crap answer' - Gary The Ministry of Education are striking over a pay freeze. Willow said that it would 'entrap teachers at all levels into being underpaid' - Willow 'We value teachers hugely' - Erica 10. Takutai to Tama TTK 6, TP 3 Homelessness in Auckland. 53% increase. '3000 children' leaving emergency housing. To where? $40 million cut from Māori housing. $20 million cut from transitional housing. Isn't it strange that the Minister for Māori Development isn't a front bench MP? 11. David MacLeod to Tama DM 6, TP 4 Māori wardens. The first question and answer were in Reo Māori, which was well-handled. Wardens aren't police. Gary said they have less authority than a security guard. They know people in the area and mediate disputes. 'Additional funding is expected to flow' - Tama 12. Camilla to Scott Simpson CB 6, SS 3 ACC. Is it working? 'My number one focus is ensuring the stability of the scheme.' The meat of the question was to interrogate the delay in rolling out ACC coverage for abuse survivors. Simpson said there was an operational decision regarding the delay and that he didn't have oversight over operational decisions. Belich pointedly swiped at the 'government's broad strategy to save money at women's expense' Brownlee asked her to rephrase the question, which dragged on for a bit before a brief answer signalled the end of Question Time. There's a pay equity rally outdoors tomorrow, so I might film that.