That's rubbish, If you get fired, s60H does not apply.Unemployed means resigning from or otherwise leaving employment, other than by dismissal. Firing is dismissal.

Not quite, dave, but your (implicit) conclusion is pretty much correct. The 13-week stand down applies if a person:

(a)Has voluntarily become unemployed without good and…

Matthew Poole said :If you resign, or get fired for misconduct, s60H of the Social Security Act 1964 mandates a 13-week stand-down period before payment of a benefit may commence.

That's rubbish, If you get fired, s60H does not apply.Unemployed means resigning from or otherwise leaving employment, other than by…

I heard some of the debate on the 90-day bill, and recall the point was strongly made that the 13-week stand-down won't apply if you are terminated within the trial period. "To enourage beneficiaries to take the risk", or some-such phrasing.

Yes, I'm sure many of us heard it. But…

and all the schools in our area are decile one schools.

umm, surely you mean decile ten? Devonport != t3h slums

I heard some of the debate on the 90-day bill, and recall the point was strongly made that the 13-week stand-down won't apply if you are terminated within the trial period. "To enourage beneficiaries to take the risk", or some-such phrasing.

Yes, that point is made in this Herald article too.…

BTW, if you want to see the rest of the bills National has been tryign to keep secret, the Greens have put them up here.

Good on the Greens for pushing a little bit of openness in government.

One local principal stated flat out that he doesn't want any special needs kids at his school because they cost too much money.

And that's a direct consequence of the daft bulk-funding arrangements that incentivise schools to turn away as many disabled students as they can. It's easily fixable as…

Watch out parents of kids with autism – they will be open to prosecution if their kids can't cope with all the stress of school and refuse to go.

Or for parent's who can't get a school to take their child --- one of the families at our playcenter has…

it's not like the system is suddenly going to start offering real options to those families

And that's the crux of my and Hilary's recent posts on the Attitude thread – unless the actual resources and political context are acknowledged, calls for more "personal responsibillity" or an excessively individualised focus…

I get a message saying "This is video is for New Zealand viewers only." I still consider myself a New Zealander but there you go.

Well, New Zealand viewer is not the same as New Zealander, you've got to give them that. Although on the old site I used to…

Not that it matters to me. I get a message saying "This is video is for New Zealand viewers only." I still consider myself a New Zealander but there you go.

No, Ben. Just no.

I think I'll wait to see what the wife says. Maybe they think it will just be this once...

Re the Nats playing hardball: If they have been on honeymoon, then is this analogous to the first time they hit their wife? It could just be a little slap, but it sets the tone. Will the wife take it?

No, Ben. Just no.

Ozstralian cheese! I 'spose I could support the packers but I'd rather buy some good NZ stuff.

Yeah I wonder how 'Coon' cheese would go down here. It's not like Coonawarra is that hard to say.

Re the Nats playing hardball: If they have been on honeymoon, then is this…

It has irrevocably branded National as a bunch of worker hating, arrogant forget nothing learn nothing charlatans, and it has gifted Labour three years of media friendly fodder of tales of outrageously unfair dismissals, forced sexual relationships and the whole range…

Whereupon they form their own micro-party, convince the voters of Stupidville to keep electing them despite their having left the Nats/Labour, get a nice job as Minister-outside-Cabinet and allow their ignorant pomposity to reach whole new levels.

I'm sure there's a TV comedy in that...

13 weeks stand down for unemployment

Bloody hell! Is there a source for that?

If you resign, or get fired for misconduct, s60H of the Social Security Act 1964 mandates a 13-week stand-down period before payment of a benefit may commence. It's mandatory in the case of resignation, but discretionary…

$3000.00 fine if your kid isn't enrolled in school.

Does that outlaw homeschooling then?

And the fact that under 25s have to live on $165 rather than $199. Cause, y'know, rent, bills and food is cheaper when you're 24.

It's not primarily people on stinking fast fibre or DSL

And let's not forget the shift to mobile browsing...

13 weeks stand down for unemployment

Bloody hell! Is there a source for that?

If they knew how much hardship is caused by the present 2 week stand-down period... but they have no intention of knowing.

I remember when my family had to wait 6 weeks in the 1990s -…

Some people did a dial-up speed test of all the major local news sites a couple of weeks ago. From memory, they were all ~1MB

"Everyone else is doing it" doesn't make it any more acceptable, though. They should all be hunting for designers who actually understand the demographics of…

This shows a complete, arrogant disregard for the huge number of folks in this country who're on dialup. When you've got 800-ish-thousand dialup connections in a population of 4.2 million, you don't just ignore them!

Some people did a dial-up speed test of all the major local news sites a…

Yeah, but what size block are we discussing here? I can get a 500gm block of house-brand Edam at Countdown for under $10.

An open block of this has been in the fridge for 6 months. Extremely good value compared to all the other blocks that have been consumed in…

90 day overview

"We have to get away from a situation where those who support a bill
support rushing it through the legislature, and…

The home page is 1.2MB in size. which is about a 10 seconds download on 1 Meg DSL.

This shows a complete, arrogant disregard for the huge number of folks in this country who're on dialup. When you've got 800-ish-thousand dialup connections in a population of 4.2 million, you don't…

And all this is without recourse to any employment tribunal.
Are you sure?

Wilkinson's presser and Q&A are unclear:

"The trial period will also be covered by good faith provisions, meaning that employees will need to be fully informed about the trial period before agreeing to a trial period. Mediation will…

There are a swag of technical things that they appear to have NOT set up correctly that really drag down the load times.

Javascript files not minified, huge CSS files, no compression used when sending content…

MPs can be dismissed from their party at any stage and may be constructively fired at 3 year intervals by demotion on their party list.

Whereupon they form their own micro-party, convince the voters of Stupidville to keep electing them despite their having left the Nats/Labour, get a nice job…

And that's before tax which as Cullen said yesterday, not even a block of cheese, perhaps a slice :)

Wait, your return from your tax cut, is taxed? That wouldn't make sense.

Unless you mean GST.

Also, the MyFreeview HD PVR (officially, they're calling it a "DTR" or digital television recorder, because that's the name that came up best in consumer research) should be in the shops today.

If only.

I've been to two stores already (DSE, JB Hi-Fi), and no-one can sell me a FreeVo.

not even a block of cheese

Yeah, but what size block are we discussing here? I can get a 500gm block of house-brand Edam at Countdown for under $10.

And all this is without recourse to any employment tribunal.

Are you sure?

And as 3410 says above, more than 20 employees.

A correction to an earlier posting – $10 per week.

I do not feel your "sadness" that this isn't how all workers are governed.

So disingenuous, Angus. The hypocrisy is the point, and you know it.

If National believed in this bill, they'd let the public sack them at any time in their first 90 days in office

Don't forget that it only applies to businesses with fewer than 20 employees (which is to say that they're looking after the stuffed-shirt businessmen types whether they be…

Sadly, the bill won't apply to national's MPs. But they wouldn't dare subject themselves to the same standards they want to impose on everybody else.

MPs can be dismissed from their party at any stage and may be constructively fired at 3 year intervals by demotion on their party list.…

Be fair, I/S – if Labour was doing it the same would apply. No MP will subject themselves to the requirements they demand from the populace

Sure. But I think we both agree that its arrogant and hypocritical.

If National believed in this bill, they'd let the public sack them…

Also, the MyFreeview HD PVR (officially, they're calling it a "DTR" or digital television recorder, because that's the name that came up best in consumer research)

Maybe because DTR has been advertising TV related stuff on TV for the last 30 years. Always trust a market research company to miss…

Apparently it will encourage employers to hire those at the bottom of the employment heap, rather than those who can, you know, actually do the job?

That sounds like an excellent reason to bring in the legislation under urgency .... so I look forward to seeing the significant and material…

Some of its rapid action is partly motivated by a desire to try to make…

Thanks Matthew — good points. I'll ask Tom Cotter today about how the new site meets the government web guidelines.

TVNZ, as an SOE, is not required but is encouraged to adhere to the (now) Web Standards

The Radio New Zealand site has demonstrated that you can run an attractive…

an all leave, on a random Tuesday.

When you next take a holiday or work trip overseas, check the box for "leaving permanently". This will boost the net migration and make the Nats look bad.

How much effect this has depends if they reconcile arrival and departure forms. I bet…

"* Workers on $44,000 will receive $46.54 with the independent earner rebate – but only $31.54 if they already receive government assistance."

But notice how that varies from the impression created by the intro:…

[Their Wgtn offices are across the road from where I work, so I see that name every day...]

They're round the corner from Atech = 'without technology', a computer shop.

Yep. And if I recall correctly, for people earning around that mark, and who don't have children (ie aren't getting WFF), you get a whole $10!

You'd have to save up for 3 weeks to buy a packet of Wrigleys. And at least a year to get a 1kg block…

I believe its traditional to set fire to things as well. Maybe a protest BBQ?

I'll bring some beer.

The designers at AIM proximity come highly touted

I've always wondered whether AIM Proximity was a particularly good name for a communications outfit.

AIM=We're going to try
Proximity=to get close or next to

So their name tells me that they're going to try and get close to their targets but…

So, online open Government is available only to IE users on Windows.

Well, it looks OK in FF and Safari on this Mac. But it's possible there's stuff buried further into the site that doesn't work other than in IE. Which in 2008 is completely inexcusable. It was only barely…

Using urgency to get bills through their final sages before a break – or an election – isn't an abuse.

A minor abuse.…

Just remember to bring a fire extinguisher in case ti gets out of hand.

Don't get this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA5V78NC1mM

Yesterday there was a chicken on my drive (once it got over the fence past the gate the dogs got it real quick, scratch one chicken)

Those chickens need a to learn a bit from pukekos. But I'm impressed, a chicken! Closest I've come to that (in an urban setting)…

Could we burn effigies of John Key and Rodney Hide, too?

If you feel like it; it's a free country. Just remember to bring a fire extinguisher in case ti gets out of hand.

The Grants Online website and web-based grant application will not work correctly in some browsers, including Firefox and Mac-based operating systems. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Isn't it too early to riot on the streets yet?

Yes. But its never too early to toast marshmellows.

Nothing puts me off quite as fast as a site that I can't use because there's no consideration given to non-Flash browsers.

Tee-hee. Go check out AIM Proximity's site then? I was keen to see some of the other web design projects they've worked on but all I get from…

I believe its traditional to set fire to things as well.

Rioting, let me show you it. Should you need any inspiration.

Isn't it too early to riot on the streets yet? I thought this was supposed to come after the "Great Cheese March' of 2009?

I believe its traditional to set fire to things as well. Maybe a protest BBQ?

Marshmallows! Parliamentary Order Papers! Ministerial Limos! Burn!

recently made the switch to using RSS feeds and a reader and find it much better than what I've been doing for years, which is regularly visiting some web sites. I use NetNewsWire, but that might be mac only.

I use Firefox, and put the RSS feeds on the toolbar…

I haven't seen anyone on my street get their pony. And now no fucking pie!

No-one I know has got any of the promised cheese yet either. Where's my cheese!?!!11!1!??/?!1!?

See, I wasn't depressed after the election, because although I knew it was coming, it hadn't become real yet.

Audrey…

That's it, I'm barricading Molesworth Street.

I believe its traditional to set fire to things as well. Maybe a protest BBQ?

Maybe this will make me start using an RSS feed reader. Suggestions?

I recently made the switch to using RSS feeds and a reader and find it much better than what I've been doing for years, which is regularly visiting some web sites. I use NetNewsWire, but that might be…

Am I missing something? I thought we were promised $47?

They still haven't come and run fibre optics into my lounge. Yesterday there was a chicken on my drive (once it got over the fence past the gate the dogs got it real quick, scratch one chicken), but I haven't…

*Police roll out Tasers

followed immediately by:

*Christmas Shoppers beware

-Shopocalypse?

No. Under National, only the rich get pie. This is what they call "an incentive" (though what for is unclear).

See, I wasn't depressed after the election, because although I knew it was coming, it hadn't become real yet.

Luckily we fixed that eh! Feels pretty real now...

No. Under National, only the rich get pie. This is what they call "an incentive" (though what for is unclear).

I don't know if they do. Based on my income I'm technically 'rich' (in reality I'm as middle class as it gets) and most – if not all – of…

I saw on the news last night (TV3 6pm) that the tax changes will not help people at all who are earning below $45K, but already receiving WFF.

Yep. And if I recall correctly, for people earning around that mark, and who don't have children (ie aren't getting WFF), you…

News flash to the fucktards: Not everyone who comes to your site has (or wants to have) Flash.

Hear, hear. I use Firefox for 99% of my browsing, and have not installed the Flash plugin. When I find that I really need it, I fire up Explorer, but the hassle…

The Radio New Zealand site has demonstrated that you can run an attractive site while still making it as accessible as possible.

The designers at AIM proximity come highly touted,…

if heavier on the Flash that some people will like

Me being one of them. I despise Flash. My primary platform at home is FreeBSD on amd64, and Flash support is a little flaky, at best. So I just don't bother. Some sites offer alternatives, but many don't. And it's…

No. Under National, only the rich get pie. This is what they call "an incentive" (though what for is unclear).

An incentive not to leave the country. The proles we can lose, of course.

We should play a colossal practical joke on them an all leave, on a random Tuesday.…

I saw on the news last night (TV3 6pm) that the tax changes will not help people at all who are earning below $45K, but already receiving WFF.

And just to put that it context: about 75% of New Zealanders earn less than $45 K a year.

If we're going…

Yes. In particular, I wonder how it will play amongst the Maori Party's base that their "representatives" voted to feather their own nests while voting against offsetting National's de facto hike of taxes on the poor with tax credits.

I saw on the news last night (TV3 6pm) that the…

Are we also beginning to see the beginnings of the terrible fixes the Maori Party are getting into?

Yes. In particular, I wonder how it will play amongst the Maori Party's base that their "representatives" voted to feather their own nests while voting against offsetting National's de facto hike of…

Oh come on Craig, what part of National's so-urgent legislation makes it any more likely that people will have jobs in a year?

You could argue that, in relation to the 90 days trial law, it would make it less likely that people would have jobs in a year.

It's opposition's job to oppose. If that means countering urgency with a filibuster, then that's how it has to happen.

Not under MMP. It's the opposition's (to use the archaic, FPP term) to advocate their own position. This is not necessarily the same as opposing.

As for Craig, I think…

Neither do I, but when there are people who don't know whether they're going to have jobs in a year

Oh come on Craig, what part of National's so-urgent legislation makes it any more likely that people will have jobs in a year?

Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill
First Reading

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Minister of Finance): I move, That the Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill be now read a first time.

Dr Richard Worth: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Would it not be appropriate for…

I'm trying to get the name FreeVo off the ground.

I call the MySky the 'TiFaux' for the benefit of American friends. For a NZ-related pun, I can also break out 'Faux 'vo'. Although that's a bit more obscure.

Also, the MyFreeview HD PVR (officially, they're calling it a "DTR" or digital television recorder, because that's the name that came up best in consumer research) should be in the shops today.

I'm trying to get the name FreeVo off the ground.

Who's with me?

Maybe this will make me start using an RSS feed reader. Suggestions?

I recently made the switch to using RSS feeds and a reader and find it much better than what I've been doing for years, which is regularly visiting some web sites. I use NetNewsWire, but that might be…

Maybe this will make me start…

I don't have any time for the idea that opposition should be all fluffy in order not to be seen as haters and wreckers.

Neither do I, but when there are people who don't know whether they're going to have jobs in a year, a solid Opposition really has to…

Are we…

I don't have any time for the idea that opposition should be all fluffy in order not to be seen as haters and wreckers.

John Armstrong surveys the debris of National's "shambolic" first few days of attempting to run a Parliament, and deems the unnecessary recourse to urgency on the new bills "reprehensible".

Then again, Labour might want to think very carefully about following Idiot/Savant's advice and consider that the last Congress ended up…

John Armstrong surveys the debris of National's "shambolic" first few days of attempting to run a Parliament, and deems the unnecessary recourse to urgency on the new bills "reprehensible".

It'd be nice to be in a country that treated parliament with just a little bit of respect, rather than a…