Posted on 09/01/2003 2:14:11 PM PDT by shaggy eel
New Zealand's center-left government has been challenged by conservatives over plans to set up a service designed to help "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender" citizens who may experience discrimination or disadvantage.
Proposals to establish a "rainbow desk" at the Ministry of Social Development came to light when a lawmaker with the small, conservative ACT party, Muriel Newman, managed to get the information released under Official Information legislation.
It says the views of the "special interest" group would be heard and taken into consideration when government ministers are given advice on social policy matters.
Newman Friday questioned the need for a "rainbow desk," pointing out that any New Zealander who feels discriminated against for any or a range of reasons - including sexual orientation - already has access to two existing, taxpayer-funded complaints bodies, including the Human Rights Commission.
As far as the policy advice aspect went, Newman said by phone from Wellington, the Ministry of Social Development already had 100 policy analysts of its own.
"Why on earth is this necessary?" Newman asked.
Newman said the likely aim was to please - and win voter support from - one small sector of the community.
"We're quite skeptical about the motives of this government when it comes to funding decisions," Newman said.
Newman also wondered whether, now that it had been brought to light, the initiative might not simply be quietly killed off.
"It could be that it was the brainchild of a small group of people," who would now choose to let it lapse, because of the unwelcome publicity.
Ministry of Social Development spokesman Michael Gibbs said Friday the plan to set up the "rainbow desk" was "government policy," tying in with its undertaking to amend any remaining laws causing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
He said there would not be any duplication between the desk and the Human Rights Commission, which has "statutory responsibility to investigate complaints."
The desk would provide policy advice to the government on issues relating to homosexuals, and could also "have a role of talking to representative organizations" of that community.
The Labor government has been under fire in recent months for promoting what critics say are "politically correct" and anti-family social policies, such as moves to place same-sex unions on the same level as traditional marriages when it comes to parental and other rights.
A conservative think tank, the Maxim Institute, questions whether discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation is an especially pressing issue in New Zealand.
It noted that, in figures available for 2001-2002, a mere two percent of complaints of discrimination received by the Human Rights Commission were on the grounds of sexual orientation.
In an opinion survey carried out by the Commission early this year, 16 percent of respondents said they thought homosexuals and lesbians were subjected to "a great deal" of discrimination in modern New Zealand society.
By contrast, the figure for people of Asian origin was 35 percent, for recent immigrants 32 percent, and for overweight people 20 percent.
Prime Minister Helen Clark's Labor Party has several openly homosexual members, including a cabinet minister and a transsexual member of parliament (MP).
It has six "Rainbow Labor" branches designed to provide a political voice for homosexuals and lesbians.
In an article following Labor's last election victory, lawmaker Tim Barnett wrote glowingly about the party's "proud history in promoting lesbian, gay and transgender rights."
"By having members of Parliament [MPs] from rainbow communities continuously for the past nine years, including the world's only transgender MP and the world's only current openly gay cabinet minister, we have ensured that our power structures include a rainbow voice," Barnett wrote.
"By being a party which has actively promoted the involvement of women at every level, creating a feminized environment for policy development, we have been unfazed by issues such as same-sex relationship recognition and the need for the school curriculum to engage with issues around sexuality," Barnett added.
"By having a leader [Clark] who has a very special understanding of our communities, and enjoys the opportunity to attend rainbow events and speak with our media, our commitment to inclusion of lesbian, gay and transgender people in human rights is constantly reaffirmed," Barnett concluded.
02 September 2003 By NICK VENTER and GORDON JON THOMPSON
Maori critics of the Government's foreshore and seabed proposals are not speaking for mainstream Maori, Prime Minister Helen Clark says.
Tribal leaders meeting in Blenheim at the weekend rejected the Government's plan to put the foreshore and seabed in the public domain and some talked about establishing a new party to represent Maori interests.
But Miss Clark said the hui did not reflect the thinking of mainstream Maori and she was not worried about the creation of a new party.
Labour's Maori MPs worked hard and in good faith and many of the attacks had come from people who had never supported them, she said. "There appears to be a strange coalition between those at the sovereignty end of Maoridom and those at the sharp property rights end."
The hui's organisers rejected Miss Clark's claims. Te Ope Mana a Tai spokesman John Mitchell said it was an old tactic to try to destroy the messenger when the message was not liked.
Iwi leaders including Tuwharetoa's paramount chief Tumu te Heuheu attended the hui in "a rare show of unity", he said.
Mr Mitchell said iwi from Muriwhenua, Hauraki, Taranaki, Rongomawahine, Ngai Tamanuhiri, Ngati Raukawa, Muaupoko, Waikato, Whanganui, Ngati Kahungunu and Mataatua all agreed to join Te Ope Mana a Tai.
Labour Maori MP Dover Samuels, who has thrown his mana behind the Government's proposals, rubbished talk of a new party.
Those calling for the party needed to understand it was very difficult to have an impact as a minor party, he said. "It's not very effective sitting on the outside. Maori have seen this carrot before but it won't work."
Mr Samuels said Mana Motuhake leader Willie Jackson, who called at the weekend for a grand coalition of Maori parties, was an opportunist who was taking advantage of the foreshore and seabed issue to drum up support for himself.
Do that and New Zealand is DEAD!
Very true. All it takes is one cell (flaw) and then it becomes a rampant mess without treatment!
Why must they pick the most beautiful places on earth on which to soil with their agenda?
Scripter will be off line occasionally between now and the middle of September. I've agreed to help him out by running his homosexual agenda ping list.
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A simple freepmail is all it takes to subscribe to or unsubscribe from scripter's homosexual agenda ping list. If you wish to be added to the list in scripter's absence, please FReepmail me.
Ah, but it's so much more than just a down-payment on future votes - I'm sure it's a payoff for past votes, too ;)
After one of the greatest con-jobs in recent New Zealand political history over Corngate, Prime Minister Helen Clark now declares herself to be a victim of her own greatness. Without the slightest hesitation or self-doubt the Labour Leader told her Monday press conference: “I am a victim of my own success as a competent and popular Prime Minister.” This was after trying to dismiss the evidence that she has been involved in yet another outrageous cover-up. If we go back to the election-time allegation of Labour turning a blind eye to GM contaminated corn, we can see evidence of New Zealand Labour adopting the identical tactics of British Labour’s spin doctoring under the arch manipulator Alastair Campbell. That’s not so surprising as Helen Clark sent a senior spin doctor to London to study under Campbell. Firstly there was the “heavy breathing” tactic with reporters. The scribes were told by the Prime Minister and her minders that the allegations were untrue, the subject complex, and she had been subjected to an unfair ambush. Then came the second phase, the vast “document drop” to add confusion. This was aimed at giving substance to Labour’s claims of having nothing to hide. But, alas, several key documents were withheld from the drop, even though Helen Clark had pledged total openness. If these papers had been included they would have provided evidence, in mid election campaign, that Labour did indeed know about the contamination. Labour’s poll rating plunged after the Corngate revelation by TV3. Confirmation could possibly have cost Labour the election. Helen Clark’s denials of involvement simply don’t stand up now. More will come out about this in Parliament.
The sequel to Paintergate
Corngate might be the latest of Helen Clark’s cover-ups, but there have been plenty of others. In the Paintergate saga it was discovered that Helen Clark had signed a painting by someone else, which then went to auction. When the Police began inquiries after a forgery complaint, Helen Clark refused to co-operate and answer Police questions. The evidence itself had been destroyed beforehand by a Clark staff member. More recently Helen Clark denied knowing about the politically correct “ancestral landscape” clauses in the Resource Management Act. National produced the documents. These proved that not only did the clauses come from Helen Clark’s own Department of Culture and Heritage, but also that they were personally approved by the Prime Minister. She had to apologise to Parliament for misleading the House on that one.
September 2 2003
If it were me marrying her, I would be the one crying... actually bawling my eyes out....
They forgot about all those kiwis with a sheep fetish...
Someone should accuse them of discrimination.
,,, she's attends Parliamentary question time 42% of the time; the honeymoon with the press is over; radical Maoris want blood and many Kiwis are waking up to what they've voted for. Oh, better not forget the Greens can now string her up for Corngate too. A liar is always found out.
In February Labour will run a campaign to charm small/medium business. They'll have to pull a rabbit out of the hat for that. I haven't found a business yet that can tax to the tune of $5,6b to bragg about a record balance sheet! [LOL]. Additionally, a cost of living increase for public servants will be met from the ill gotten surplus, presumably at a well timed point before November 2004. Public service pay pressure has always been a quiet worry for Labour, but the partnership approach unions have taken with the government have served Klark & Co very well to date.
Eckhoff claims Government has written off rural sector
02 September 2003 By PHIL MCCARTHY
The Labour Government had written off rural New Zealand in the quest to prop up its traditional voter base, Act Party rural affairs spokesman Gerry Eckhoff said yesterday.
The Roxburgh MP passed through Invercargill yesterday as part of his nationwide tour to fight the so-called fart tax.
Mr Eckhoff said the Government's controversial proposal to levy $8.4 million annually from farmers for research into the effects stock methane emissions was the first in a raft of stealth-taxes likely to hit the rural sector.
"It's a stalking horse for further impositions of designated taxes."
These could include rural and education health taxes, he said.
Science Minister Pete Hodgson at the weekend indicated a backdown on the levy was likely, but added that the money needed to come from somewhere in the rural sector.
Mr Eckhoff said changes to the Local Government Act could see regional and district councils forced to collect the money on behalf of the Government.
The philosophy was a cynical acknowledgment that Labour was not interested in the rural vote, Mr Eckhoff said.
"There's no question that Labour have identified who their voters are – Maori, Polynesians, students and superannuitants. They'll look after those groups come hell or high water ... they've written off the farming community. They're prepared to lose that support."
However, the Government had underestimated the importance of provincial New Zealand – in which farmers and small businesses were being repeatedly stung by new compliance costs.
"We are not a wealthy country. We can't afford these costs that are being whacked on the productive sector," he said.
The anti-tax tour left Invercargill for Central Otago yesterday and would be travelling up the West Coast today. Mr Eckhoff planned to be in Wellington on Thursday for a Federated Farmers rally at Parliament.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2645439a3600,00.html
,,, I know every sheep here by name. That could make me one very powerful politician.
The joke here was that going to see GWB for the first time, she decided to equip herself with a Wonder-Bra... being busy and having no time for shopping she'd just borrowed one from her husband.
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