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Full Scoop Coverage: Budget 2013

Budget 2013 - Scoop Full Coverage


Parliament Live - LIVE Video Of Budget 2013

The 2013 New Zealand Budget will be delivered on Thursday 16 May. This page will be updated with pre-Budget information soon.
CLICK TO JUMP TO SCOOP BUDGET COMMENTARY AND REPORTS
CLICK TO JUMP TO THE BUDGET PRESS RELEASES
CLICK TO JUMP TO BUDGET REACTION
CLICK TO JUMP TO BUDGET PREVIEWS

For the latest headlines and reaction see..
PARLIAMENT WIRE..., POLITICS WIRE..., BUSINESS WIRE..., EDUCATION WIRE..., HEALTH WIRE...



RELATED LINKS:
For the full text (when released) of the budget see...
TREASURY BUDGET 2013 WEBSITE
See also the BEEHIVE BUDGET PAGE

Interactive Link: BudgetTreeMap: HotTree Visualisation by Keith Ng - currently live with data up to 2012
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Public Address Link: Keith Ng: Bringing Down The House (Prices)



For previous budgets see...
BUDGET 2012 - BUDGET 2011 - BUDGET 2010 - BUDGET 2009 - BUDGET 2008 - BUDGET 2007 - BUDGET 2007 - BUDGET 2006 - BUDGET 2005 - BUDGET 2004 - BUDGET 2003 - BUDGET 2002 - BUDGET 2001 & BUDGET 2000

BUDGET 2013 - SCOOP COMMENTARY / REPORTS


Gordon Campbell: On The 2013 Budget



Among yesterday's main talking points:

1. We are apparently on track for a margin-of-error $75 million surplus, now in sight for 2014/15. But this sickly creature is hobbling out of the lab on the basis of all kinds of facilitative conjuring: such as trimming by $200 million the amount of new spending next time around. With this strictly nominal surplus in sight, the 1984-ish justification for eternal austerity will have a news talisman: namely, getting Crown debt down to 20% of GDP by 2020. More on that below.

2. In a good example of how this new mantra is already impacting on sensible planning, the government confirmed in the Budget that it will not resume its contributions to the Government Superannuation Fund until government debt gets reduced to 20% of GDP, a target not expected to be reached until oh, 2020. Suspending those contributions barely made sense as a reaction to the Global Financial Crisis. With an ageing population, suspending them for what will be in effect, ten years, is an absolute dereliction of long term planning. More>>

Budget Report, Lockup Audio & Images: Budget Day 2013



As always and especially after the managerial mishaps of the past few weeks and months, (e.g. Aaron Gilmore, the Mighty River Power share float, the GCSB mishaps) Budget Day 2013 was always going to be a pageant of reassurance. A promise that austerity would be rewarded.

To that end, Finance Minister Bill English played his usual role as the steady hand at the tiller.

Budget 2013/14 provided the first glimmerings of hope for better times to come, and which will be trumpeted in election year 2014. Despite the fact that most of the limited amount of new spending had been foreshadowed (if not entirely pre-announced) a few new measures were unveiled today. More>>

Parliament Today



Pattrick Smellie: Budget 2013 Comment - Plain Sailing, But It's No America's Cup

Compared to the last four budgets, this year's reflects an economy moving out of recession and into calmer waters. The global financial crisis is still a risk, but we're not in the maelstrom anymore. For now, at least.

Yet if the fastest annual growth rate we can expect over the next two years is 3 percent - - with the Christchurch rebuild in full swing - then you'd have to say New Zealand's underlying low-growth problem is far from fixed.

Christchurch was bad luck which, during the repairs, is good news for economic growth rates. But it's not an economic strategy for lifting the country's perennially sluggish productivity. More>>

More from Business.Scoop -



Public Address Link: Bringing Down The House (Prices), But Not Really - Keith Ng

"On track to surplus" That's not really true. Revenue projections are down on the 2012 Budget, and the Government would be in deficit - except they cut the Operating Allowance for Budget 2014 by $200m. More>>

ALSO:



Public Address Link: A (Sweary) Analysis Of Urgency Abuse And The Consititution



Keith Ng: You're looking at the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for the Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill. Basically, the courts said that the Government had to pay family members who looked after people with disabilities (because not doing so was discriminatory), so the Government passed this law to say: "Yeah nah."

The RIS isn't just redacted for the public - it was redacted for MPs. *Parliament* voted on this, with all the relevant facts blacked out.

Sure, it's understandable, right? If you're passing a law that's really dodgy, you don't want advice from civil servants saying "uh, this is pretty illegal" to be public. But actually, that's not really a problem here, because in the same piece of legislation, THEY SAID THEY CAN'T BE TAKEN TO COURT. More>>

Gordon Campbell: On The Government's Trampling On The Rights Of Family Carers

Don't want to be unduly alarmist about this, but we seem to have an outlaw government on our hands - if by that we mean a government willing to suspend the ability of citizens to seek the courts' protection if and when the government violates freedoms set out in our Bill of Rights.

So far this year, even the august likes of Dame Anne Salmond and Sir Geoffrey Palmer have been moved to protest against the curtailment of the rights to protest about oil and mining exploration... This has just been a warm up for the government actions over the payment due to the carers for disabled children... More>>

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BUDGET 2013 - THE REACTION - FULL COVERAGE


BUDGET DEBATE SPEECHES - AS PREPARED

Parliamentary Reaction:

Government

Labour

Greens

NZ First

The Maori Party

ACT

United Future


    Mana

    Auckland Discord: Govt's Power Hungry Housing Approach A Threat - Labour

    Last week the Government said this, 'The Government commits not to use any proposed or existing powers ... to override the council's planning and consenting processes'. But its housing Bill says this; 'If an accord cannot be reached in an area of severe housing unaffordability, the Government can intervene by establishing special housing areas and issuing consents for developers'. More>>

    ALSO:



    Extending Protest Ban, Relaxing Permit Rules: Govt Abuses Urgency To Extend Anadarko Amendment

    The Government is trying to pass legislation under urgency which would make the Anadarko Amendment - which limits protest at sea - apply to an additional 1.7 million square kilometres, the Green Party said today. More>>

    ALSO:



    Caring: Green Party Response To Family Care Legislation

    Parents caring for disabled children haven't been allowed to receive payments for the work they do. However in 2011, the Human Rights Review Tribunal ruled that such families were being discriminated against. The Government unsuccessfully appealed this decision all the way through to the Court of Appeal. In Budget 2013, the Government tabled legislation that would restrict future claims by carers for compensation. More>>

    ALSO:



    Non Parliamentary Political Reaction:

    Health Sector Reaction:

    Education Sector Reaction:

    Union Reaction:

    Global Markets/Futures


      Banking and Finance

      Accountants & Analysis

      Business

      Other Reaction

      BUDGET 2013 - THE PRESS KIT
      (Note see also pre-budget announcements below)


      The Budget Speech

      Coalition Leaders' Statements

      SUMMARY SHEETS


      Economy

      Education

      Welfare

      Health

      Housing

      Law, Order & Security

      Research, Growth And Innovation

      Art, Culture And Sport


        Trade and Foreign Affairs


          Christchurch Earthquake Recovery

          Other Stuff - Maori, State Sector, Local Govt



          BUDGET 2013 PREVIEWS & REACTION


          Government Pre-Budget Announcements



          Scoop Coverage - Selected Announcements, Coverage, Issues, Positioning And Reaction:



          Parliament Today:



          Business.Scoop:



          Misc - Final Week Of Leadup:



          Housing: Supply, Affordability Addressed In Auckland Accord

          An Auckland Housing Accord has been agreed today by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown to urgently increase the supply and affordability of housing in Auckland. More>>

          ALSO:



          Budget 2013: Expansion Of Māori And Pasifika Trades Training: Budget 2013: Expansion Of Māori And Pasifika Trades Training

          A major expansion of Māori and Pasifika Trades Training to 3,000 places as part of Budget 2013 was announced today by Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce, and Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Tariana Turia. More>>

          ALSO:



          Pre-Budget: Greens Reveal Major Imbalances In NZ Economy

          The Green Party commissioned report from BERL shows that on four out of five rebalancing measures the National Government has moved backwards. The report found that "the underlying factors driving New Zealand's macroeconomic imbalances not only remain...they have deteriorated considerably since 2008." More>>

          ALSO:



          Shearer Speech: Budget For John's Mates Not Your Mates

          "This will be a Budget for the boardroom, not the smoko room. It won't change people's lives because John Key is more interested in looking after his mates than your mates.

          "This Government has made promise after promise in Budget after Budget. But it hasn't delivered. It has let New Zealanders down." More>>

          ALSO:



          Scoop Business: NZ Jobless Rate Falls To 6.2% On Record Employment Jump

          New Zealand's jobless rate fell to a three-year low in the first three month of the year as the employment rate grew for the first time in four quarters, fuelled by demand for workers in Canterbury. More>>

          ALSO:



          Budget 2013: National Science Challenges Announced

          The Government has today announced the final 10 selected National Science Challenges and a $73.5 million boost over four years to fund them, as part of Budget 2013. More>>

          ALSO:



          Budget 2013: Additional $21.3m To Fight Rheumatic Fever

          The Government's fight to reduce New Zealand's high rate of rheumatic fever among children will receive an additional $21.3 million over four years in Budget 2013, Health Minister Tony Ryall and Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia have announced. More>>

          ALSO:



          Treasury: Financial Statements Of The Government, 9 Months To 31/3/13

          The Operating Balance before Gains and Losses (OBEGAL) was in deficit by $5.0 billion, which was $273 million lower than forecast largely owing to core Crown tax revenue being $535 million higher than expected. More>>

          ALSO:



          Budget: $70 Million Extra For Aged Care And Dementia

          Aged care and dementia services will benefit from an extra $70 million over the next four years, Health Minister Tony Ryall and Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew say. More>>

          ALSO:



          Budget Announcement: Details On Tourism Funds

          Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key has released details of the $158 million of additional funding for tourism announced in a pre-Budget speech earlier this week. More>>

          ALSO:



          Budget 2013: Investing In Internationally-Focused Growth

          Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key today told a business audience in Wellington that a key focus of the upcoming Budget would be a package of internationally focused growth initiatives. More>>

          ALSO:









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