Former Cabinet minister and MP for Te Atatu Chris Carter was suspended from the Labour Party caucus yesterday. Party leader Phil Goff sought the suspension after Mr Carter admitted writing an anonymous letter to the Press Gallery that said Mr Goff was about to be rolled by David Cunliffe, the party’s finance spokesman. Mr Goff said the vote was unanimous. The party will vote on Mr Carter’s membership next weekend. “Chris Carter has no future in the Labour Party that I lead”, he said. “There are no more chances”. Mr Goff disciplined Mr Carter two months ago after a credit-card spending scandal (The National Business Review). Labour president Andrew Little said the party’s leadership was taking the issue one step at a time, 3News reported. “Now that he has been suspended from caucus and the issue has been referred to the New Zealand Council (of the Labour Party), the council has a scheduled meeting on August 7, so the issue will be considered at that point,” he said. Christopher Joseph Carter, 58, was elected to Parliament in 1999, representing Te Atatu, an Auckland seat (having been MP 1993-96). He was the first openly gay man made a Cabinet minister. He had several portfolios in Helen Clark’s government, from 1999 to 2008, among them education and conservation. In a commentary, Peter Wilson, political editor of the New Zealand Press Association, wrote that the Labour Party had no choice but to expel Mr Carter because anything less would be a vote of no confidence in Mr Goff. “It will almost certainly get rid of him when the council meets on August 7 – unless Carter does the right thing and resigns before then.”
Owners of high-powered air guns will require a firearms licence in a matter of months, the Government says. Undercover policeman Don Wilkinson was shot and killed with an air rifle in 2008, and Keith Kahi, was killed in Auckland earlier this month. The change would apply to pre-charged pneumatic air guns, but not older-style, spring-loaded air guns, guns powered by CO2 cartridges, BB guns, or paintball guns. Only firearms licence-holders aged over 16, or people under the supervision of a licence-holder, would be allowed to possess the firearms. Police Minister Judith Collins said the change would make it harder for criminals to get their hands on firearms. She called them a “weapon of choice” for some criminals because they didn’t need to be licensed to use them. The plans were sensible, but was not planned as a panacea – “nor should it”, deputy editor Warwick Rasmussen wrote in the Manawatu Standard (Palmerston North). “Pneumatic-powered guns are intended to be used for target practice. Unfortunately though, they can be – and are – used as weapons against people … ” The aim of the change was to strike a balance, he said. “Any rule that has such good intentions and at minimal cost should be applauded.” – NZPA
Cartoon
Controversy
Debate
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is not commenting on Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff’s decision on Tuesday to refer a privacy complaint against her to the Director of Human Rights Proceedings. Solo mother Natasha Fuller laid the complaint after Ms Bennett released her benefit details to news media when she complained about cuts to her training incentive allowance. Ms Shroff said there was ‘sufficient substance’ for her to refer the matter to the director, Robert Hesketh, which she had done. - NZPA
The future Auckland Council mayor would earn an annual salary of $240,000, the Remuneration Authority said yesterday, releasing its determination on elected member rpay in the new Auckland council. Councillors’ base rate would be $80,000. Local Government Minister Rodney Hide said the authority had found a balance between recognising the responsibilities of each position, and a fair cost to ratepayers. – The New Zealand Herald
Prime Minister John Key said student debt was a disaster economically for the Government. “If you’re an investment banker … you’d say it’s a disaster of a loan book,” he told students at Victoria University’s Weir House this week. “It’s $11 billion, roughly, at the moment and we collect 53c in the dollar, that’s it. Fifty-three cents in the dollar. If you just sat there, logically, you’d say there has to be a better way of doing it.” The Government has announced changes to tighten access to student loans. Mr Key said the policy was ‘politically charged’ so it would stay. “But economically, it doesn’t really stack up.” More than 500,000 New Zealanders have student debt and the policy to make loans interest-free was credited with winning Labour the 2005 General Election. – The Press
Sociologist Carl Davidson has been appointed chief families commissioner. Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said Mr Davidson was a recognised leader in social research, practice, and theory. Mr Davidson said he considered the job the most exciting one in social research in the public sector. The Families Commission was established as a Crown agency after the General Election in 2002 as part of a deal between Labour and UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne. National’s response to it was lukewarm, but the party committed to keeping it going when it came to power in 2008. Mr Davidson takes over from acting chief commissioner Bruce Pilbrow, who stepped in after the resignation in March of Jan Pryor. - NZPA
Sociologist Carl Davidson has been appointed chief families commissioner. Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said Mr Davidson was a recognised leader in social research, practice, and theory. Mr Davidson said he considered the job the most exciting one in social research in the public sector. The Families Commission was established as a Crown agency after the General Election in 2002 as part of a deal between Labour and UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne. National’s response to it was lukewarm, but the party committed to keeping it going when it came to power in 2008. Mr Davidson takes over from acting chief commissioner Bruce Pilbrow, who stepped in after the resignation in March of Jan Pryor. - 