The Wire with Joel

Following my chat with Simon, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke more about the amendments to the Policing Act with Gehan Gunasekara - the Convenor of the Surveillance Group within the Privacy Foundation and an Associate Commercial Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about concerns these changes will create a “surveillance state”.

Here is that interview.

This week on the Monday Wire:

For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s Jobseeker Support changes for 18-to-19-year-olds, and the government’s amendments to the Policing Act.

Following Joel's chat with Simon, they spoke more about the amendments to the Policing Act with Gehan Gunasekara - the Convenor of the Surveillance Group within the Privacy Foundation and an Associate Commerical Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about concerns these changes will create a “surveillance state”.

Producer Alex spoke to a Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland, Rochelle Constantine about what the new Hauraki Gulf Protections Act means for our larger wildlife.

On Thursday, 95bFM Intern Zanoor spoke to Dr Lucy Hardie, a Health Research Fellow at the University of Auckland, about research showing global vaping companies are using tactics to target young people.

And Alex to an Associate French Professor at the University of Auckland, Deborah Walker-Morrison, about the ongoing political crisis in France, and what the instability means for President Emmanuel Macron and his party going forward.

Whakarongo mai.

Recently the Government announced a new policy that would means test the Jobseeker benefit for 18-19 year olds. 

This new means testing would disqualify those 18-19 year olds who have a combined parental income above $65,000. 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaking directly to those young people receiving a benefit said that “I make no apologies, if you want a job, you go to where jobs are” 

The official unemployment rate is 5.2% with 158,000 people unemployed. In June, young people from 15-24 years olds had an unemployment rate of 12.9% with Maori and Pasifika young people more acutely affected. 

According to experts there are very few pathways left that actively support young people to get employment in our current job market. Current cost of living payments from Studylink amount to $9.50 per hour of full time study. 

Aaron Hendry, founder of youth organisation Kick Back says that this change would increase the risk of homelessness for young people and put some of our most vulnerable young people in potentially dangerous situations.

Furthermore hundreds of teenagers with disabilities and chronic health issues, who currently live in a state of poverty, would be disqualified from accessing this benefit as well. 

Thursday Wire Producer Sanat spoke to Sarita Divis, Executive Officer at the Child Poverty Action Group, about the implications of these changes.

With 2 days to go before voting closes, the voter turnout throughout Tamaki Makarau still remains low, with around 20 percent of eligible voters having cast their vote throughout the city. 

According to these statistics, voter turnout is tracking to be lower than 2022’s local elections which had a final turnout of 35.4 percent. 

Thursday Wire Producer Sanat talked to Julie Fairey today to give our listeners (and prospective voters) a final elevator pitch as to why they should vote in their local elections. 

They also talked about why it is that the design and structure of these elections are not conducive to higher voter participation and the change necessary to make civic participation cool again.