Comparing New Zealand’s COVID-19 policy to Australia’s has been a key part of the arguments posited by those who disagree with nationwide lockdown. For their last chat under Level 4, Mary-Margaret asked Andrew about if we should be paying attention to how Australia combatted the virus without a rāhui like ours. They also discuss mental health, if returning to ‘normal’ is viable or not, and how long Level 3 might last for.
A group of academics calling for a 'Plan B' posit that the economic harm our rāhui will cause is worse than loss of life. In her catch up with Andrew Little this week, Mary-Margaret asked what the Government's response to this notion is, and if it will influence future decisions relating to COVID-19 response. This week also saw the first package announcement for tertiary students during the pandemic, and Mary-Margaret questioned the Minister about why students are the only group whose COVID-19 assistance has come in the form of accumulating more debt.
Before our rāhui, the Minister of Justice had started accepting submissions on amendments to the Electoral Registration Bill - which he says is a form of voter suppression against prisoners. He also had started a review of our Hate Speech laws. Mary-Margaret asked him more about these reforms today, and what their progression looks like when Parliament has been suspended. She started by asking, though, about the role that legalising abortion last month played in being able to declare it an essential service during rāhui.
As the Prime Minister put it, those who are in their 20s are the vector for tranmission of COVID-19. Mary-Margaret speaks to Minister Andrew Little about this, as well as a new channel to report price gouging, police dispersal and the place of cannabis in the new landscape.
In light of our COVID-19 rāhui, Mary-Margaret asked the Minister if he was worried about the extent to which noncompliance might jeopardise our efforts. They discussed what the dispersal of patrol might look like during this crisis compared to day to day New Zealand, in which police presence is noticeably unequal across regions and suburbs.
Mary-Margaret asks the Minister about last night's removal of abortion from the crimes act; the COVID-19 stimulus package and what it says about Labour's relationship to provisions for safety nets outside of pandemics; how prisoners are being affected currently; and impacts on Pike River recovery funds.
Abortion has passed its second Parliamentary reading, so Mary-Margaret asked what the Minister's reckons are before it goes to committee stage. They also talk about two more recent amendments and nuclear disarmament.
Last week, we missed our chat with Andrew Little as he was at Waitangi, so this week, Lillian speaks to the Minister about Waitangi! They touch on Andrew's speech given fully in te reo Māori, and whether the government managed to address some of the key issues raised by Māori prior to Waitangi Day. Lillian also gets the MInister to explain his position on constitutional transformation and what he thinks the role of the Waitangi Tribunal is following comments by the opposition to eventually disestablish it.
95bFM 