National to swap spending on consultants for childcare
The policy announcement was received well by the ECE sector but raises questions about the feasibility of cutting spending on consultants and contractors and the risk of driving up fees for parents
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Monday, March 6, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: government transport strategy to make climate change the top priority; Green party says stronger climate change policy needed if Labour in position to form government after 2023 election; the health system’s postcode lottery and infertility; but first, National take a leaf out of Labour’s book for its first cost-of-living policy announcment
Simeon Brown, Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis speak to media following the state of the nation speech (Photo: Toby Manhire)
“You could be mistaken for thinking it was the other Chris”
After a series of delays, National party leader Christopher Luxon got to deliver his state of the nation speech yesterday. As Toby Manhire writes this morning, there was a lot riding on it with National needing to “crack on with rolling out policy in election year.” The crux of yesterday’s announcement was a new child care tax rebate which will be paid for by cutting spending on consultants working for the government. It was, as many have noted, a reach into Labour party territory. “When the policy was detailed — well, you could be mistaken for thinking it was the other Chris, Hipkins of Labour, that was speaking,” writes Manhire.
Cuts to public sector spending on consultants and contractors will fund policy
National says its policy will cost $249m each year and it will be funded by cutting public sector spending on consultants and contractors. The Herald’s Thomas Coughan looks at the feasibility of that plan (paywalled), noting that while the word “consultant” conjures an image of big consulting firms running expensive working groups, there’s actually a chunk of very ordinary jobs in the public sector done by consultants and contractors. “Both Labour and National have a terrible record on restraining this kind of spending and both need to work out a way to fix it,” writes Coughlan.
Government’s own review of childcare is close to completion
Former prime minister Jacinda Ardern made a childcare policy announcement at the party’s conference last year which increased the income threshold for the current child care subsidy. That kicks in on April 1 and National won’t repeal it. Luxon’s announcement was well-received by the early childcare sector. Early Childhood Council CEO Simon Laube said National's proposed policy would be “much more significant” than last year's childcare subsidy threshold changes. Deputy prime minister Carmel Sepuloni has criticised it as “not well thought through”. The Green party says it avoids dealing with systemic issues like child poverty while Act says the policy is “too easy for Labour to steal”. The government’s own review of childcare is close to completion.
Top five private early childcare providers receive almost a fifth of government funding
As Newsroom’s Jo Moir writes, the more obvious criticism of National’s proposed policy is that it wouldn't save parents anything and would lead to child care providers upping their prices. Luxon cited market forces as the insurance policy against that, describing childcare as a “competitive market”. Michelle Duff dug into that competitive market yesterday with an excellent feature on the for-profit childcare sector. The top five private early childcare providers receive almost a fifth of the government funding available to the sector.
A handy guide to your menstrual cycle
For those of us who get a period, there may be signs that bleeding is either on its way, or is happening beyond the blood itself – whether that's a mood shift, cramping or even soreness in other parts of our bodies. But bleeding is only one part of a much longer, four-phase cycle. So what's up with the other three phases? What's going on down there? And what effects can each phase have on the rest of my body and mind? Brought to you by TOM Organic, Alex Casey learnt all about the different phases of menstruation. Read more on the Spinoff now (sponsored)
Climate change the top priority for new transport strategy
As the Herald’s Thomas Coughlan reports, government ministers are finalising a new transport strategy that will make climate change adaptation and mitigation the priorities when it comes to deciding how transport funding gets invested. The plan goes out for consultation this year and aims to build a more resilient transport system that is better placed to manage more extreme weather events, and reduce emissions. Officials say projects that will increase emissions will not necessarily be cut, but will face a “high threshold” to get funding. The plan may also result in an increase to fuel taxes and road user charges but no decision has been made on that yet.
Greens want stronger climate change policy in exchange for support
Speaking to the crowd at the Wellington School Strike 4 Climate on Friday, Green party co-leader James Shaw said that if Labour was in a position to form a government after the election, it would need to commit to greater climate action if it wanted the party's support. Shaw also spoke to Q&A on Sunday, telling host Jack Tame that despite being despite being disappointed with overall progress on climate change policy, he intended to continue in the job. When presented with emissions-increasing policies pursued by the government, Shaw said: "I don't just sit there Jack, and if you think that resigning is going to cause more change than continuing to battle it out – the way I see it is a reason to double down, not give up."
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The health system’s postcode lottery and its impact on infertility treatment
Different regions have different rules about how public funding for IVF can be used as this story from 1News’ Fiona Connor highlights. According to guidelines on the Fertility Associates website, if you are in Auckland or Northland with frozen embryos stored from a previous private IVF cycle and you become eligible for publicly-funded treatment, you must use your public funding to transfer those embryos first before starting a new cycle. But if you live outside of those regions, you are not allowed to use your public funding to transfer embryos banked from a private round of IVF. Infertility affects one in four New Zealanders.
Click and collect
Saliva-based roadside drug testing scrapped before it even started
Increasing numbers of people think house prices will fall, but majority not that bothered about it
‘Tis the season: more 2023 election candidates named. A former Labour party member flips and the two MPs in the running for selection to stand in former prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s Mt Albert seat for Labour
Utterly bizarre story on the deliberate installation of a humming vibration device that’s been plaguing residents of an Auckland apartment building
The insect news of the week brings a whole new meaning to sharpshooter
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
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