Public Address | Cafe | Polity: Budget 2016: Dull on top, hollow underneath

Paul Campbell

Fri, 27 May 2016 21:11:19 +1200

First Dog explains the budget – it could be ours

Sacha

Fri, 27 May 2016 20:14:30 +1200

targeted investment in disadvantaged kids

$2 a week

Sacha

Fri, 27 May 2016 20:11:51 +1200

deep and creative thinking that we really need to improve our economy and give citizens a way to understand and improve their lives.

heaven forbid

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 27 May 2016 19:46:30 +1200

Dr Moreau to triage....
I basically like governments delivering surpluses, but they’ve had to dig pretty hard to construct this one.
its more of a 'plaited-plus'
an unlikely beast
on the face of it...

...an abomination,
or abnegation,
if you will...

Russell Brown

Fri, 27 May 2016 18:55:25 +1200

This budget is again presented in an upbeat manner, as usual, but looking at the whole picture, it is not surprising and not has great as some may think.

I've been contemplating this. They've introduced targeted investment in disadvantaged kids via schools – but at the cost of freezing all…

mpledger

Fri, 27 May 2016 17:14:53 +1200

@Rob
Don't get to invested in PISA.

We're going down the rankings but a lot of that is because new countries are being introduced that live on standardised testing, where the kids are consigned to the scrap heap if they don't pass the standardised test for university. Whereas in NZ,…

Ross McA.

Fri, 27 May 2016 07:20:44 +1200

Thanks for this much needed analysis.

Sacha

Thu, 26 May 2016 18:02:55 +1200

for Health the issue is quality, not quantity of spending. Results can measured in things like the infant mortality rate, life expectancy e.t.c.

and metrics like unmet need, denied referrals, equity across sub-groups, etc

Mark Graham

Thu, 26 May 2016 16:59:08 +1200

Then why the hell did he crap on about how much money he’s spending?!

In a post-Truth political reality, why should he care?

simon g

Thu, 26 May 2016 16:33:15 +1200

The press gallery will be satisfied, and Corin Dann will award the Budget 8 out of 10 on One News tonight. Then they will talk about tax cuts. Key and English know their audience. Details are for wimps, soundbites for the win.

I kind of hope National stay in power…

Marc C

Thu, 26 May 2016 16:23:31 +1200

As with any of Bill English's budgets, I think the devil sticks in the detail. There will be some good and welcome spending, and additional spending, and there will be much lacking elsewhere. The figures tend to be presented to show the government of the day in the best of…

Rob Salmond

Thu, 26 May 2016 16:06:37 +1200

@Nicholas: I'm going on the PISA rankings on education – NZ kids are doing substantially worse now that in 2006 or 2007 when PISA did it's previous round of testing. And I agree outcomes are the most important health metrics, but I feel pretty comfortable saying health investment levels and…

Nicholas O'Kane

Thu, 26 May 2016 16:02:05 +1200

Can I ask by what metric you consider our educational rankings to be falling considering the increase in NCEA pass rates? Also for Health the issue is quality, not quantity of spending. Results can measured in things like the infant mortality rate, life expectancy e.t.c.

Ian Dalziel

Thu, 26 May 2016 15:13:59 +1200

human misery as data
well it could lead to a misery accord
ergo misericord*
a small dagger used to deliver a death stroke to a wounded enemy.
:- )

*also an excellent album by Jay Clarkson and The Breathing Cage from 1991.

Rob Salmond

Thu, 26 May 2016 15:07:51 +1200

@Ian. Yes, NewsHub was there.

Ian Dalziel

Thu, 26 May 2016 15:04:52 +1200

Just wondering were any MediaWorks reporters allowed in the Budget Media Lock-up?
Considering they brought an end to them at the Reserve Bank.
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/news/2016/04/reserve-bank-takes-action-after-investigation-confirms-leak

Paul Campbell

Thu, 26 May 2016 14:39:18 +1200

So I heard a little of this on the radio, I don't listen to parliament much, English moved the first reading of the bill ... I assumed it would be read out loud .... but no, 20 seconds later he moved the second reading, not even enough time for MPs…

Rob Salmond

Thu, 26 May 2016 14:25:31 +1200

@Rob Stowell: I certainly do not "see human misery as data." I do, however, believe that it is possible to collect data, aka information, about human misery. It's a good idea to do that if, like me, you want to have less misery tomorrow.

Rob Stowell

Thu, 26 May 2016 14:22:59 +1200

hey ho. must learn not to comment on polity!

Public Address

Thu, 26 May 2016 14:22:59 +1200

Discussion from blog post.