Transtasman Political Letter – 2nd February 2006

Transtasman Political Letter – 2nd February 2006, 2006 Digest

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2nd February 2006

Don Brash gives the Govt a rev-up on the economy...Cullen says it’s all old hat...So who’s going to find the silver bullet before we all leave for Aust?...But Fletcher Building boss Ralph Waters reckons NZ is not such a bad deal...Clark meets Howard in their annual trans-Tasman summit. Will they tell officials to get a move on in achieving a single economic market?

Brash Accuses Govt Of Dozing At The Controls…

Opposition leader Dr Don Brash, in seeking to re-package himself as the PM-in-waiting with Orewa MkIII, was only partially successful, even if the NZ Herald concluded he’s “on the right track.”

Says NZ “At A Tipping Point”

Brash claims NZ is in danger of reaching a tipping point beyond which it would be extraordinarily difficult to recover. He is talking of the income gap between Aust and NZ.

NZ Finding Favour With Aussies

While Don Brash is worrying about the outflow of Kiwis to Australia, the Australian Financial Review has featured how Aussies are increasingly succumbing to NZ’s attractive lifestyle.

Bollard Surprises On Two Levels

Reserve Bank Governor Dr Alan Bollard surprised no-one when he left the OCR unchanged at 7.25%. What was surprising was his comment the Bank has yet to see “hard evidence of a sustained slowdown in domestic demand.”

CAPITAL TALK

After PM Clark meets John Howard in Canberra she flies to South Africa to attend the annual Progressive Governance Summit. The long flight will give her a chance to ponder a replacement for Governor General Dame Silvia Cartwright.

Play of the Week: Brash – Surprising On The Upside?

When an economic result is said to “surprise on the downside” it means “we got it wrong.” When a result “surprises on the upside” it means “we got it wrong but no-one will mind very much.”

ENDS

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