Peter Dunne - Latest News [Page 12]
Dunne Speaks: The Unwelcome Game -Changer
Thursday, 15 July 2021, 8:57 am | Peter Dunne
The British Medical Association calls it “irresponsible”. The British scientific community’s “overwhelming view” is to move “slowly” and the country’s Opposition thinks it is a “fatalistic” move. Meanwhile the Chambers of Commerce ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Donald Rumsfeld And Covid19
Thursday, 8 July 2021, 9:03 am | Peter Dunne
Former United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld famously observed that, “there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Things Are Already Getting "hairy"!
Thursday, 1 July 2021, 9:13 am | Peter Dunne
Chris Hipkins’ admission that things could get “a bit hairy” if Covid19 vaccine supplies do not arrive as planned in early July could be applied to all aspects of the government’s Covid19 response. In stark contrast to its approach during the ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Cheers Volunteers!
Wednesday, 23 June 2021, 4:20 pm | Peter Dunne
This week has been National Volunteers Week, the annual opportunity to celebrate the contribution volunteers make to our society. New Zealanders are great volunteers. Throughout our country volunteers make their presence felt constantly. They are the ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Ministry Of Health Needs Better Day-to-day Leadership
Thursday, 17 June 2021, 9:04 am | Peter Dunne
Over the last year there has been a series of official criticisms of the performance of the Ministry of Health. While some relate specifically to Covid19, others reflect upon the wider role of the Ministry. Nevertheless, the breadth of the criticisms ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Short-sighted Immigration Policy Putting Businesses At Risk
Thursday, 3 June 2021, 8:54 am | Peter Dunne
The recent story that the Cashmere Lounge, a popular, high quality local restaurant in my neighbourhood may be forced to close for at least a few weeks highlights a serious issue. In this instance, the restaurant’s head chef is going on parental ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: The Danger Of Trusting Superficial Media
Thursday, 27 May 2021, 8:06 am | Peter Dunne
The unravelling of Britain’s Royal Family being brought about by the continuing revelations from Prince Harry about his upbringing and the way the “firm” reacted to his new wife and son continue to attract attention around the world. It seems ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: The Curate's Egg Budget
Thursday, 20 May 2021, 4:22 pm | Peter Dunne
As he brought this year’s Budget together Finance Minister Grant Robertson would have been mindful of three factors. First, the Budget should set out significant steps towards reducing inequality, child poverty especially. This, after all, had ... More >>
Dunne Speaks - The Could-be Prime Minister?
Thursday, 13 May 2021, 8:52 am | Peter Dunne
There has been a desperate and palpably false rumour circulating in recent weeks that the resignation of the Prime Minister is imminent. Meanwhile, Jacinda Ardern remains just as firmly ensconced in office as she ever was. However, it does raise ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Mallard Has To Go
Thursday, 6 May 2021, 9:23 am | Peter Dunne
It is time for Speaker Trevor Mallard to go. His extraordinary conduct in Parliament this week in defence of false rape allegations he made against a Parliamentary staffer not only further demean himself, but also Parliament as a whole. For the sake of ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: On Five Eyes And China
Thursday, 29 April 2021, 8:40 am | Peter Dunne
The government is right to resist attempts to turn the Five Eyes Intelligence sharing agreement into a wider political alliance. However, given the growing disposition of some its partners, it is going to become increasingly difficult for it to continue ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Back To The Future Health Reforms?
Thursday, 22 April 2021, 9:14 am | Peter Dunne
At first glance, there is a strong back to the future flavour to the government’s just announced health sector reforms. National in the 1990s abolished elected area health boards and replaced them with a single national Health Funding Authority, ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: National Does Not Need Another Kamikaze Leader
Thursday, 15 April 2021, 8:37 am | Peter Dunne
The absolute last thing the National Party should be considering right now is another change in leadership – its third in less than a year were it to happen in the next few months. National has far more pressing tasks at hand. To have any prospect of ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Seek Out The Evidence, Don't Blame It
Thursday, 8 April 2021, 8:28 am | Peter Dunne
At last! After 10 months working on the issue, New Zealand’s Director-General of Health has graciously decided that Australia is now a sufficiently low-risk Covid19 country that “quarantine free travel is safe to commence” between the two countries ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: Health Changes: Meaningful Reforms Or Rearranging Deckchairs?
Thursday, 1 April 2021, 10:33 am | Peter Dunne
Since the early 1980s successive National- and Labour-led governments have struggled to find the best way of funding and delivering effective public health services. In 1983 the then 29 hospital boards administering the country’s health system were ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: PM Gets Her Capital Gains Tax After All
Thursday, 25 March 2021, 8:43 am | Peter Dunne
George Orwell once observed that “political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible… Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness…”. The current argument ... More >>
"Putting Out The Trash" Makes For Callous Politics
Thursday, 18 March 2021, 8:31 am | Peter Dunne
The issue of deporting people who have completed sentences in prison for criminal offences is a vexed one. It has been brought sharply into focus by the application of Australia’s so-called s501 policy which since 2014 has seen the deportation ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: The Last Governor-General?
Thursday, 11 March 2021, 9:09 am | Peter Dunne
Around August this year a new Governor-General will take office to replace Dame Patsy Reddy upon the conclusion of her five-year term. A few months before then the Prime Minister will announce whom she has chosen to be the next Governor-General. ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: It's Time To Refresh Our Covid19 Approach
Thursday, 4 March 2021, 8:36 am | Peter Dunne
Last year the Prime Minister laid out an astonishingly simple but extremely effective plan for dealing with the threat Covid19 posed to New Zealand. It was basically to take advantage of our isolated location and seal our borders to keep the virus out ... More >>
Dunne Speaks: An Unpopular View?
Thursday, 25 February 2021, 9:18 am | Peter Dunne
This is likely to be an unpopular column. But there are some things that need to be said, and some debates that need to take place. Over a year into the Covid19 crisis there is an unnatural air abroad where it is still not at all acceptable to question ... More >>