National Radio Midday Report

Public Service Pay – Health Board Elections – Russian Adoption – Tainui Finances – Indonesian Apology – Florida Recount – Sex Change – Internet Medicine – King Murder Trial – GM Commission – NSW Floods

- PUBLIC SERVICE PAY: State Services Minister Trevor Mallard says there will be no across the board pay rises for public servants and the Government will not allow high settlements. Mr Mallard’s tough message of restraint doesn’t rule out some room for movement – the cabinet has approved parameters for bargaining. State agencies are being told that settlements have to come from savings and efficiencies.

- HEALTH BOARD ELECTIONS: The Single Transferable Vote system will not be used to elect Health Board Elections next year, so as not to confuse people voting in Local Body elections held at the same time, but will be used in 2004. STV is seen as providing women and minorities with a greater chance of being elected to the boards, but next year the old First Past the Post system will be used.

- RUSSIAN ADOPTION: Child Youth and Family Services is being accused of double standards over its decision to suspend all adoptions from Russia because Russia does not comply with the Hague Convention, which New Zealand has signed up to. But the Department continues to deal with other counties that have not ratified the convention.

- TAINUI FINANCES: The Chairman of Waikato Tainui Executive, Kingi Porima, says the payment deadline imposed by a bank it owes money to has passed and he is now waiting to hear what will happen.

- INDONESIAN APOLOGY: Indonesia says it is to apologise to the Australian Ambassador to Jarkarta and a group of businessmen accompanying him who were attacked by a group of demonstrators.

- FLORIDA RECOUNT: Seven judges in the Florida Supreme Court are still deliberating over whether post-deadline hand recounted votes are to be included in the final tally for the State of Florida, which will decide who becomes the next President of the United States.

- SEX CHANGE: The Chief Ombudsman has given the Health Funding Authority until the end of the month to respond to his recommendation that it fund the psychiatric assessment and sex change operation of a man from the King Country.

- INTERNET MEDICINE: The Medical Council says it is taking a cautious approach to the Internet and the opportunities it offers physicians.

- KING MURDER TRIAL: The jury in Terry King murder trial has been told that to find William Haanstra guilty it must be sure the Crown has ruled out all other reasonable possibilities that someone else killed him.

- GM COMMISSION: Federated Farmers say they want the development of genetic engineering technology to continue so that farmers have a choice and can respond to international demands. At the Royal Commission into Genetic Modification Federated Farmers called for the voluntary moratorium on genetic field trials to end.

- NSW FLOODS: Concern in northern New South Wales that rain moving through the state will bring new floods if it gets into the head waters of two river systems.

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