Buzz from the Beehive
Penny Simmonds is the minister winning the big headlines this morning.
But they were headlines of the sort best avoided by a politician, such as:
We got it wrong on disability announcement – Minister Penny Simmonds
Fair to say, the announcement that needed explaining was not among those posted on the government’s official website.
It was released instead by Whaikaha, the Ministry for Disabled People, to advise the purchasing rules for disabled people’s equipment and support services were being changed.
Perhaps the job of communicating was given to the ministry because ministers prefer to do the announcing only when it is good news they are bringing to us.
Well, usually good news.
Take the latest bunch of ministerial announcements, for example.
- Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk wants us to know the government is taking steps to reduce delays and speed up building consents. It is requiring councils to submit data for building consent and code compliance certificates every quarter.
- Trade Minister Todd McClay is chuffed that the government is moving quickly to ratify the NZ-EU FTA. That will realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters.
- Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston is keen to tell us about the positive progress being made in building the social worker workforce. The trigger for this is that, to coincide with World Social Work Day, the Social Workers Registration Board released its Annual Social Worker Workforce Report 2023, “which shines a light on the challenges and opportunities facing the profession”.
Let’s see how those announcements fare, in terms of winning publicity for the ministers responsible in each case.
Point of Order hasn’t sorted out exactly what went awry with the announcement which Penny Simmonds should have made.
According to RNZ, she said the communicating was done through a Facebook post in an attempt to convey information to everyone in the disabled sector at the same time.
One News told of an email leak:
Earlier today, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the disability community will pay for the Government’s “fiscal incompetence”, with restrictions on funding for equipment and modification services.
The change — cited as due to financial pressures on Government departments — was announced by Whaikaha the Ministry for Disabled People on Monday after an email leak.
It announced it would make changes to its purchasing rules “to clarify how people can use their disability support funding”. The changes were effective immediately.
The Government has come under increasing pressure over how it would fund its tax cuts.
The leaked email — accidentally sent to the wrong recipient — said due to “financial cost pressures” on government departments, the ministry would now “actively” enforce a set budget cap on the provision of equipment and modification services.
“I wanted to notify you in advance that this is likely to result in some reduction in orders over the next few months,” the email said.
Today, the Disability Issues Minister said the enforced budget caps and reductions in orders were “not cuts”. Penny Simmonds said, in fact, 10% more funding was being put into the fund for equipment.
According to RNZ, Labour’s Disability Issues spokesperson Priyanca Radhakrishnan seized on the news to say funding was effectively being cut, the changes reduced flexibility and choice and took the sector back 20 years.
Some feared they couldn’t afford to pay for caregivers to travel with them for work and shopping.
But Simmonds – questioned on Morning Report – clarified the cuts would not affect those travelling within their community.
She realised there was concern disabled people were worried they wouldn’t be able to pay mileage to carers taking them shopping or on other activities “but that’s not the intention at all”.
The confusion arose because the ministry announced funding will no longer go towards domestic and international travel.
She had spoken to some ministry staff on Tuesday about the need for better communication.
The communicating was done through a Facebook post in an attempt to convey information to everyone in the disabled sector at the same time.
A failed attempt.
“I absolutely accept that we haven’t been clear enough and that people don’t want to see things on Facebook to find out the information.”
It was a new ministry that had only existed for 18 months and was lacking “depth of experience”, she said.
“We have to learn from this.”
She insisted the cutbacks announced were nothing to do with the government’s calls for a reduction in public sector spending.
The budget had been overrun with more than $104 million spent on purchasing items so rules needed to be tightened.
Latest from the Beehive
20 MARCH 2024
Spotlight on Building Consent Delays
The coalition Government is taking steps to reduce delays and speed up the building consent system by requiring councils to submit data for building consent and code compliance certificates every quarter.
19 MARCH 2024
Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
“The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says.
Positive progress for social worker workforce
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says.
Point of Order 