1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,759 Speaker 1: Barry Sober, senior political correspondent. 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 2: Is here high Barry. 3 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:03,960 Speaker 1: Good afternoon, Heather. 4 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 3: What do you make of this package? 5 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: Well, you know it's for low and middle income earners, 6 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: and earners being the key word here because beneficiaries do 7 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,920 Speaker 1: miss out and the fact that it's being paid for 8 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 1: through the budgetary process I think is a good thing. 9 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: That's providing they can stick to the two points. I 10 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: think it's three billion dollars they've got to spend, isn't it? 11 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: Is it well thereabouts in the budget, so you know, 12 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,559 Speaker 1: as long as it's not borrowed, which is a big concern. 13 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: I suspect quite a lot of it will be borrowed. 14 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: But the payment I think is quite a good one, 15 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: and tac to the price of ninety one octane petrol 16 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: is interesting. Everybody be watching the petrol pump that's eligible 17 00:00:54,920 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: for this, hoping that it doesn't go under the dollar mark. 18 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 1: Now that upset the Greens co leaded Chloe Swarbrick, who 19 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: says those in the most desperate need are missing out, 20 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: which she posed to the Prime Minister during question time today. 21 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 4: Why did he say that his government would quote provide 22 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 4: support to those who need it most end quote, if 23 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 4: they were going to exclude almost half a million of 24 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 4: the lowest income New Zealanders on a. 25 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 3: Benefit beneficiaries are receiving as on the first of April, 26 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 3: a cost of living adjustment are reflecting essentially cost of living. 27 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 3: The working, low and middle income, working News Islanders who 28 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 3: wake up each and every day, who drive to work, 29 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 3: take their kids to school, are working incredibly hard are 30 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,119 Speaker 3: the ones that are hurt the most through this period. 31 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 1: So they're making no apologies for that, and I think 32 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: most people would say, yes, we'll leed. Beneficiaries are getting 33 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: an increase and you know, if you are on a benefit, 34 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: you've got to be generally paid less than someone who is. 35 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 3: You need that game to be significant. 36 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 5: Yeah, otherwise it's too easy to sit on a benefit 37 00:01:57,880 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 5: carry out. 38 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well the other I think it's all to do 39 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: with what's going on in the Middle East of the moment. 40 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: You know you've talked about. I think the nineteen countries 41 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,519 Speaker 1: who have signed up to protecting the straight New Zealand 42 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: being one of them, and where along with the UK, 43 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:20,519 Speaker 1: Germany and Canada pledging to contribute to effort securing navigation 44 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: rights in the Strait while condemning the actions. The New 45 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: Zealand government had stated that no direct military contribution will 46 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: be made and that's pretty important for this country. 47 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 6: Now. 48 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: That threw up a Labor MP that I hadn't heard before, 49 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: Venushie Walters, who had three years in Parliament from twenty 50 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 1: twenty and came back on the Labor list last year 51 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: when David Parker resigned. Now she's the Labor Foreign Affairs 52 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: spokesperson and pitched herself against the old warhorse himself, Winston Peters, 53 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: and got more than she bargained for. 54 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 5: The expectation that we are working with the UN on 55 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 5: the issues with the Strait Carries, with its serious implications 56 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 5: for our potential complicity and breaches of international law, for 57 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 5: the associated costs and risks of committing defense personnel and 58 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 5: defense resources. This clearly hasn't been well thought through, if 59 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 5: thought through at all. 60 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 6: That is one of the worst performances I've ever seen 61 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 6: in foreign affairs in my short time in this House. 62 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 6: We have also had outright scam marketing from our critics 63 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 6: who said the Governor's rushing to contribute military forces to 64 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 6: this conflict. That's what that spokesperson said. Are you listening 65 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 6: what absolute crap. 66 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: Now, it's not like Winterston to use he says ball 67 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: dust instead of something else. Ranting out in his older 68 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: I think he is gets letting himself loose. 69 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 5: If you love it now, how far are we of 70 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 5: I mean, there's obviously no immediate threat of fuel shortages, 71 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 5: but what are they saying? 72 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, well there was probably another MP that bit of 73 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: more than she could chew. Today when firing questions at 74 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,919 Speaker 1: Shane Jones, the Associate Energy Minister, it was the blame 75 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 1: game as to why we're now possibly facing fuel shortages 76 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: and you guessed had here that the closure of Marsden Point, 77 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 1: the Marsden Point Oil refinery was the big stick wave 78 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: by jonesy and what it's meant. 79 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 7: The loss of seven hundred million litters of storage. We 80 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 7: New Zealanders would have that if that woman had not 81 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 7: have closed the refinery. 82 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 2: Supplementary question, does Hew you regret scrapping the emergency diesel 83 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 2: reserve later foot in place. 84 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,039 Speaker 7: On matters as to who told cabinet what that member said? 85 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 7: We need to make an active decision. We have the 86 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 7: option of maintain ping a refinery capacity, but it requires 87 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 7: an active decision by government. That government made an active 88 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 7: decision to close the refinery. 89 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 2: Supplementary apologizing that member said the likelihood of a major 90 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 2: fuel import disruption is small in the next ten to 91 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 2: fifteen years. 92 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 7: Consequently, she closed the refinery. 93 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: He mentioned the closure of the refinery probably a dozen 94 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: times during that question time, and of course that person 95 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: was Megan Woods, and. 96 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:37,359 Speaker 3: He is right. 97 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 5: I mean, they had the option to underwrite it for 98 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 5: ten years, and if they didn't underwrite it, it was an 99 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 5: active decisions. 100 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: Certainly did and you know, I mean, I'm sure that 101 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: Laban must now surely be looking back on what it did. 102 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: One of the first acts when it came to office 103 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 1: was oil and gas permits all being by the way. 104 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 5: Their for that, Barry, thanks very much, appreciate It's Barry 105 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:05,799 Speaker 5: so Per, senior political correspondent, Big Hearingcheck dot co dot. 106 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 6: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. 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