Phil Goff: Police Surveillance & Cannabis
Click for big version
Click a link to play audio (or right-click to
download) in either
MP3 format or in OGG format.
The leader of the opposition opened his weekly press conference noting a good weekend for New Zealand with wins in rugby and, "the real treat of the weekend", in league.
On plans for urgent
surveillance legislation:
• Govt had made "no effort to
talk with us" on bill.
• Will vote the plan through to
select committee.
• Not convinced 'serious criminals
will get off the hook' as claimed
• The video
surveillance process from Search and Surveillance bill is
"the right thing to do" – Govt has had nearly a yes since
that reported back. Goff calls this "incompetence".
•
Reluctant to support retrospective law, particularly under
urgency.
ACT Party:
• Don Brash's suggestion on
cannabis law: "a bit old to be a hippy".
• Users should
not be subject to imprisonment but cannabis should not be
made more widely available.
• Goff has 'Never been a
smoker' but was a student in the 70s
• John Boscawen
standing down "a shame".
• No "cohesiveness or
intergrity" in current ACT.
• Brash plans to enter
Parliment on John Banks' coattails but did not clear
cannabis suggestions with him.
Terry Serepisos
Bankruptcy:
• Repect work for Phoenix, in other
respects up to process and public opinion.
NZ and world
economy:
• China important but Europe problems would
have an effect.
• Govt needs to be more active,
including for Canterbury insurance – 12 to 24 month
timeframe for new insurance is too long.
• Exports and
low debt paid off under Labour puts us in a relatively
strong position.
Voluntary Student Membership Bill up for
final reading:
• Can no longer be delayed, is
"regrettably" likely to go through (barring
urgency).
Labour savings plan:
• Would not be drawn
on the nature of his "universal" savings plan, but repeated
that Muldoon's demolition of Norman Kirk's compulsory
savings scheme had done huge damage to the economy.
League
final screenings:
Would be in favour of negotiating
screening of the League final on the Rugby World Cup fanzone
screens.