Labour Party
1,385 posts | 23 images
Steven Joyce deliberately misled the public and wasted time, resources and lives by failing to heed overwhelming evidence in favour of lowering the drink drive when he was Transport Minister, says Labour’s Transport Safety spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway.
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Peter Dunne’s relaxed attitude to wealthy foreigners using New Zealand as a tax haven is in stark contrast to his crackdown on paper boys and workers with car parks, says Labour’s Revenue spokesperson David Clark.
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“Cough up” is the message the Government is sending to Auckland’s senior citizens as it moves to scrap a four-year free travel deal – on International Day of Older People, Labour says.
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A national day of action against Paula Bennett’s welfare reforms is yet further evidence of the increasing anger and frustration over this Government’s approach to social security in New Zealand,” Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.
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Labour’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management spokesperson Lianne Dalziel says that she is disappointed that the Government has not only taken three months to release the independent review of the Civil Defence earthquake response, but also already decided what the response should be without any consultation.
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News today that the Government is investing millions in a PGG Wrightson spearheaded research programme reinforces suspicions that its Primary Growth Partnership fund is there to support existing large agri-business rather than genuine research and home-grown innovation, says Labour’s Primary Industries spokesperson, Damien O’Connor.
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The Government’s short-sighted determination to cut again and again into the Department of Conservation will leave it unable to take care of New Zealand’s most treasured natural environments, says Ruth Dyson.
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Maritime New Zealand’s internal review into the Rena disaster will be too narrow to give New Zealanders confidence that all the lessons will be learnt from our worst ever environmental disaster, Labour’s Environment Spokesperson Grant Robertson said.
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Labour’s spokesperson for Pacific Island Affairs, Su’a William Sio, expresses his sympathy and condolences to the family of the late Very Rev Kenape Faletoese who passed away on Friday the 28th of September.
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The Immigration Minister’s sudden flip-flop over the Mike Tyson visa is just another fiasco and an example of how this Government has taken its eye off the ball, says Labour’s Immigration Spokesperson Darien Fenton.
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Labour’s Health spokesperson Maryan Street is renewing her call for an urgent inquiry into the safety of metal-on-metal hip replacement devices following fears another product used in New Zealand is faulty.
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John Key will be disappointed if he thinks his Hollywood jaunt spells the end of the Dotcom debacle, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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A Ministry of Education report which lays bare the huge variability in teachers’ marking of children’s school work against the National Standards has confirmed once and for all that the nationwide data drawn from the Standards is essentially worthless, says Nanaia Mahuta.
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John Key’s story that he knew nothing about his spy agency’s involvement in the Kim Dotcom case is unravelling with the revelation it told him about it months ago, something he conveniently forgot, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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The decision to close the Gisborne-Napier rail line is a direct result of the Government’s policy of pouring billions of dollars into motorways while setting KiwiRail up to fail, says Labour.
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The settlement with Daina Shipping over the Rena disaster is welcome but if the Government had signed up to the international convention the haggling wouldn’t have been needed, says Labour’s Environment spokesperson Grant Robertson.
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Steven Joyce's growth plan has been reduced to hoping Treasury are wrong instead of mucking in and working with businesses and workers to get the economy moving, says Labour’s Economic Development spokesperson David Cunliffe.
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Tony Ryall owes an apology not only to the country’s doctors but to all New Zealanders for persisting with the fiction that the country is awash with doctors, Labour Health spokesperson Maryan Street says.
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John Key’s desperate attempt to shut down criticism of his handling of the Kim Dotcom spying fiasco with a behind-closed-doors review won’t satisfy the New Zealand public, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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The Government’s decision to start a second internal investigation into the GCSB’s actions, just days after the original was condemned as a whitewash is another cynical attempt to cover over serious concerns about the agency, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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The National Government must learn the lessons from their complete botch-up of the Canterbury schools reorganisation when they make decisions on the region’s future of tertiary education, Labour’s Tertiary Education, Skills and Training spokesperson Grant Robertson said.
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IRD is celebrating a dubious anniversary this year – its computer system is now 20 years old and is a prime reason behind recent stuff-ups at the department, says Labour’s Revenue spokesperson David Clark.
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The increase in reported crime in Auckland city should be a major concern to the Government, Labour's Police spokesperson Kris Faafoi said today.
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In the latest Government re-announcement, this time around social housing, Minister Phil Heatley is boasting of a record spend.
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David Cunliffe Speech to Laingholm District Citizens Association, Laingholm, 30 September 2012 Robert Louis Stevenson, the man who wrote ‘Treasure Island’, once said: “Everybody lives by selling something”.
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Cantabrians can take little comfort from the Prime Minister’s half-hearted assurances that their voices will be heard over the future of local schooling given the Education Minister Hekia Parata is forging ahead with plans to close or merge schools, Labour’s Associate Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.
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Labour Leader David Shearer has today written to the Prime Minister formally requesting a wide-ranging and independent inquiry into the serious failures within our intelligence services and the Government’s management of them.
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The double standard displayed by the Government over National Standards proves - to quote John Key - that “ignorance leads us nowhere”, Labour’s Education spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta says.
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A nasty sting in the tail of upcoming tobacco tax increases will hit veterans, superannuitants, caregivers, working parents and anyone else who receives a benefit or allowance from the Government harder than everyone else, Labour’s Associate Health Spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway says.
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The report into our spy agency’s unlawful snooping on Kim Dotcom and his associates is a whitewash because it ignores the complete failure of democratic oversight by Prime Minister John Key, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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Reports that 15,000 migrants may be needed to rebuild Christchurch while thousands of Kiwis are losing their jobs shows the Government has no desire to upskill New Zealanders who want to help Canterbury, says Labour’s Youth Affairs spokesperson and MP for Wigram Megan Woods.
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Sending National Bank’s black stallion to the knackers’ yard won’t remove the stench of horse manure that many farmers have been left with courtesy of interest rate swap agreements, says Labour’s Primary Industries spokesperson, Damien O’Connor.
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News that the Government has sped up the development of temporary accommodation for workers helping with Christchurch’s rebuild will go down like a bucket of sick with homeless locals still waiting to hear of their fate, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Annette King says.
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The Government must act to ensure that the 15,000 migrant workers expected to be needed for the Christchurch rebuild are treated fairly and within the law, or it will risk having New Zealand jobs and wages undermined, says Darien Fenton.
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A chorus of corporate leaders are calling for economic policies which allow and encourage Kiwi companies to keep their base in New Zealand.
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Four years in and Phil Heatley is drowning in his housing portfolio, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Annette King says.
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In a move that can best be described as hypocritical National has blocked an Official Information Act request for Hungary’s formal response to the Prime Minister’s criticism of its troops in Afghanistan.
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Comments by the Minister of Education today in Parliament have sent a clear message to Cantabrians – the government’s current consultation process around the future of schooling in greater Christchurch is a total sham, Labour’s Associate Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.
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Since Steven Joyce announced his Business Growth Agenda six months ago with a focus on resources and mining, nothing has been done that would help the people of Greymouth, Huntly and Waihi, says Labour’s Economic Development spokesperson David Cunliffe.
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John Key has sole democratic oversight of our spy agencies but his lax attitude towards that responsibility has been exposed by the debacle surrounding the unlawful snooping on Kim Dotcom, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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Exports have fallen eight per cent compared to last year while the currency soars ever higher, heaping more pressure on exporting businesses, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Parker.
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The on-going farce around KiwiRail’s 7000 rotting Peruvian rail sleepers has taken a new turn with the company publishing a hazard alert that warns staff not to walk on sleepers on its 1656 rail bridges and viaducts, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
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The announcement that 11 Dunedin KiwiRail staff face redundancy is not only another blow to the region’s economy, but adds to concerns around the safety of the rail network, Dunedin South Labour MP Clare Curran says.
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New Zealand taxpayers were already facing significant liabilities as a result of the Dotcom litigation before John Key’s admission of likely illegal conduct amongst the security services, Labour’s Justice spokesperson and Shadow Attorney-General Charles Chauvel says.
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David Parker Speech to 2012 Eriksen’s Conference Hilton Hotel, Auckland 9 am, 25 September 2012 Welcome and thanks for the invitation to be here today.
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The incompetence of the top echelon of this Government has been exposed by John Key’s admission that his own deputy didn’t tell him he’d signed a ministerial certificate a month ago related to spies snooping on Dotcom, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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John Key has all but confirmed Solid Energy’s ‘restructuring’ plan, which will see hundreds of Kiwis losing their jobs, is about the Government readying the company for sale, West Coast Labour MP Damien O’Connor says.
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News that over 200 Spring Creek miners will lose their jobs confirms that this outrageous decision was predetermined and made weeks ago, West Coast Labour MP Damien O’Connor says.
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The “stupid decision” that has resulted in 158 jobs lost at KiwiRail is a direct result of unrealistic financial targets imposed on rail by the Government, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
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John Key must explain how the Government Communications Security Bureau, an agency which reports directly to him, apparently illegally spied on people involved in the Kim Dotcom case, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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News that 32 of New Zealand’s biggest high-tech companies have been sold offshore in the past decade shows that current economic development policies are not working, says Labour’s David Cunliffe.
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"Far too many Kiwi kids are living in poverty and new research has confirmed their health and educational outcomes will suffer as a result,” says Labour’s Education spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta.
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The Green Party is calling on the Education Minister not to release her national standards data next week.
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The Government’s decision to oppose further protection measures for Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins is a disgrace, says Ruth Dyson.
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National’s failure to pick up the jobs ball and run with it is creating a new diaspora of disillusioned and disappointed Kiwis, says Labour leader David Shearer.
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The National Government’s decision to not restrict cheap international carbon credits to secure the vote of ACT leader John Banks has enormous implications for the forestry sector, Labour’s Climate Change spokesperson Moana Mackey says.
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Almost 3,000 state houses are sitting empty while thousands of desperate families wait for Housing New Zealand to help, says Annette King.
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The Government today passed over a huge opportunity to empower the Reserve Bank to take the pressure off the overvalued New Zealand dollar by signing a weak Policy Target Agreement with the new Reserve Bank Governor, said the Green Party.
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A member’s bill that aims to address the current Government’s ‘hope and pray’ attitude to tackling climate change ensures all new electricity baseload generation is from renewable sources, its sponsor Labour MP Charles Chauvel says.
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Labour has criticised the Minister of Corrections, Anne Tolley, for ‘turning the sod’ at the Wiri Prison, and trumpeting its supposed benefits, before she makes the cost to the taxpayer public.
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Hekia Parata is blaming schools and passing the buck over the massive problems that have plagued the $26 million implementation of the new Novopay payroll system, says Labour’s Associate Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins.
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Suffrage Day offers a perfect opportunity for the Government to consider the long-term consequences of the growing number of homeless New Zealand women, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Annette King says.
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"The Government should apologise to teachers for the on-going problems and stress caused by the bungled introduction of the Novopay system," says Labour’s Education spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta.
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Tony Ryall is scaremongering as a ruse to avoid addressing how the Government will provide payments to family caregivers of disabled adults, Labour’s Disability Issues spokesperson Clare Curran says.
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John Key is making a mockery of his role and responsibility as Prime Minister by continuing to keep a Minister in his Cabinet who broke the law but got away with it simply because the time for prosecution ran out, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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John Key should take time out today from desperately concentrating on not reading the police report into John Banks’ mayoral campaign donations to do something for the working poor, says David Clark.
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Cantabrians’ celebration of Suffrage Day is clouded with resentment, anger and frustration at the continued denial of our right to vote for our Regional Council, say Labour’s Canterbury MPs Lianne Dalziel, Ruth Dyson, Clayton Cosgrove, Rino Tirikatene and Megan Woods.
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The Current Account Deficit has hit $10 billion, showing that bold new ideas are needed to ensure New Zealand pays its way in the world, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Parker.
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The Labour Leader David Shearer has congratulated Dunedin North MP David Clark, who has been awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship to study in the United States.
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A bill to tackle the causes of New Zealand’s child poverty shame will deliver genuine change for our most vulnerable kids, its sponsor Labour MP Jacinda Ardern says.
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Legislation that creates special orders to allow for the indefinite detentions of certain offenders raises questions around the Government’s good faith in advancing it, Labour’s Justice spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.
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Hekia Parata’s defence of her decision to only give school principals and board of trustee chairs a quick heads-up before the devastating announcement that their school was earmarked for closure or merger is overly defiant, says Labour’s Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Lianne Dalziel.
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The decision to review the Earthquake Commission is welcomed by the Labour Party but the voice of Cantabrians must be heard, says Labour’s Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Lianne Dalziel.
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John Key has today shifted his defence of John Banks to claim that because the time ran out on him being charged, he is somehow innocent, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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National’s head in the sand attitude to the exchange rate is an insult to the hundreds of Kiwis who have lost their jobs because businesses are struggling under the high dollar, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Parker.
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The Government literally can’t give money away with its much-hyped technology voucher system as Labour figures show just half of the money has been taken up, says Labour’s Associate Science spokesperson Megan Woods.
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Coming on the back of growing criticism of the Prime Minister’s coalition partner, John Banks, today’s round of welfare reform ‘announcements’ from the Government look decidedly overstated, Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.
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Today's announcement regarding Defence Force pay rates is little more than a case of the Government giving with one hand and taking away with the other, Labour's Defence spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway says.
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The Federal Reserve’s decision to continue quantitative easing will push our dollar even higher and demands action from New Zealand, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Parker.
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John Key’s credibility and integrity is being severely tarnished by his continued refusal to accept evidence from witnesses showing that his own Minister has lied to him, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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Figures released today by Labour show National’s endless state sector shuffling is costing Kiwis hundreds of millions of dollars, says Labour’s State Services spokesperson Chris Hipkins.
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Recent poll results around her End of Life Choice Bill show the majority of New Zealanders understand the need for greater compassion in the law, says the Bill’s author, Maryan Street.
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While New Zealanders missed out on watching live coverage of our champion Paralympic athletes, New Zealand on Air has again chosen to use taxpayer funding to support ‘reality’ TV, says Clare Curran, Labour’s spokesperson for Broadcasting.
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Auckland Council’s Economic Development Strategy sets out a detailed vision, but serious questions remain about the National Government’s support, says Labour’s Economic Development spokesperson David Cunliffe.
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John Key is refusing to read the police report on John Banks because he knows it will show that all the evidence points to the fact his minister has lied to him, says Labour Leader David Shearer.
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If John Key is serious about holding his Ministers to any real standards he needs to instruct John Banks to allow his witness statement to be publicly released, says Labour Deputy Leader Grant Robertson.
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The ratepayers of Auckland deserve to know what’s going on with the assets they own, and it’s not good enough for Auckland Council Investments Limited (AICL) to refuse to provide information about the Ports of Auckland, says Darien Fenton.
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Judith Collins' obvious failure to read a select committee report on one of her own key victims' rights bill calls into question her stated commitment to the issue, Labour’s Justice spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.
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The Education Minister, Hekia Parata, should be calling the principals of Christchurch’s Shirley Boys’ High and Avonside Girls’ High to explain the incomprehensible information about the schools’ future, says Ruth Dyson.
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Gerry Brownlee has sneaked out an announcement that the Government will only offer half the rateable value of some red-zone land while most in Canterbury were rightly focussed on the fate of their local schools, says Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Lianne Dalziel.
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National are picking and choosing their figures to exaggerate new jobs say Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Parker and Economic Development spokesperson David Cunliffe.
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The Government has been called “heartless” by Labour after dismissing as an operational matter the Transport Agency’s refusal to negotiate the purchase of a home to be bulldozed to make way for the Holiday Highway.
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The Labour Party will stand up for Christchurch communities as they come to grips with the Government’s education renewal plan, says Labour’s Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Lianne Dalziel.
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John Banks has failed both of the tests John Key set for him remaining as a Minister and he needs to go, says Labour’s Deputy Leader Grant Robertson.
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Labour is pleased that the Government supported its amendments to the Sentencing (Aggravated Factors) Amendment Bill when the legislation was read a third and final time last night, says Labour’s Justice spokesperson Charles Chauvel.
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A manufactured ‘crisis’, similar to that suffered by ACC, could be on the cards for New Zealand’s welfare system if Paula Bennett continues with her so-called 'investment' agenda, Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.
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