For those with broadband have a look at this. I think it is a disgrace. As well as not answering the question she blatantly lied to the house.
For those without broadband the full question and supplementaries is below.
Red Alert
Archive for the ‘women’ Category
Pansy Wong “No stone unturned”
Posted by Carol Beaumont on July 4th, 2010On Wednesday 30 June the Pay Equity Challenge Coalition held a rally outside Parliament to mark the anniversary of the National Government’s closure of the Pay and Employment Equity Unit. The rally sought to highlight New Zealand’s gender pay gap and to analyse the actions of the Minister of Women’s Affairs who promised last June to “leave no stone unturned in trying to close the gender pay gap”
At Question Time that day Catherine Delahunty and I asked questions of the Minister Pansy Wong to explore what she had been doing to close the gender pay gap. Her answers show both a lack of understanding and a lack of commitment to dealing with this problem. She was just plain wrong about the gap closing to 11% as Catherine went on to show the House the next day. And as for her answer on flexible working – well I leave that up to you to judge. The legislation that National voted against was the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007. As the Dept of Labour outlines the flexibility envisaged is broad ranging and includes – flexi hours, flexi weeks, flexi years, flexi location, flexi worksite, flexi career.
The issues of unequal pay – whether it be unequal pay for the same work, unequal pay for work of equal value or lack of opportunity to progress to higher paid work – have serious consequences over a lifetime. The immediate financial consequences for families is that they have less money to try and make ends meet. Many families are struggling at the moment with low or no pay increases and ever increasing costs; unequal pay exacerbates the problem.
There is not a single solution to the issue of pay equity but not acting is indefensible. Minister Pansy Wong’s commitment to “leave no stone unturned to close the pay gap” has been shown to be worthless.
Technology and the emancipation of women
Posted by Clare Curran on May 13th, 2010Interesting piece on how access to technology is building more emancipation for women in developing countries.And happiness! A bit lightweight but interesting nevertheless.
Not rocket science, but in the vein of how electricity transformed my grandmother’s (and mother’s) generation with access to refrigerators and washing machines, so is broadband transformational, this time for the poor and the oppressed.
The relevance for NZ is that we need to know more about how technology can and should be enabling poorer communities to be connected and to build skills and innovation. Trouble is there’s very little data on this and I doubt very much it’s a govt priority.
I think we need research in this area. Who’s using technology, how are they using it especially in our lower socio economic areas. And given more access to technology what changes can occur.
Best Line of the Day
Posted by Darien Fenton on March 28th, 2010Helen Kelly gave the “challenge” speech on Saturday to the Labour Women’s Leadership Conference. Love this :
Paula Bennett should go visit the Lane Walker Rudkin workers who’ve been made redundant after years of working for their employer and tell them that the dream is over.
Great stuff - although Joan Kirner had some pearlers as well.
Labour’s got talent – we’ve got women
Posted by Darien Fenton on March 28th, 2010I was at the Labour Women’s Leadership Conference in Wellington on Saturday, which, I understand, is the first such conference since the 1980’s, although there have been Labour Women’s Conferences in intervening years.
The focus of the conference was leadership – leadership in the party, in the parliament and on the ground in our communities. It’s leadership and organisation that makes a party like Labour win, even although the focus is so often on the politicians. It’s the kind of leadership and organisation that is blossoming in our party.
There were many young women there, as well as older, more experienced women, ethnic, Maori and Pasifika women. There were wanna-be politicians, aspiring campaign leaders and those wanting to help Labour win the next election.
There were women with great ideas and a firm eye on the future.
There were women who reflected on the progress of women in New Zealand and in politics and had ideas for doing a whole lot more.
And there were the great men who did the cooking and cups of coffee!
It’s the behind the scenes stuff that the commentators don’t see, and don’t know about – and never will.
But Labour’s got talent – we’ve got young women coming through the party and a whole lot of energy that will see Labour win in 2011.
Spotless Profit up 40.8% Cleaners offered min wage plus 5 cents Not fair
Posted by Trevor Mallard on February 19th, 2010Quick post coz doing electorate stuff but couldn’t resist sharing the Spotless results. These people are currently offering parliamentary cleaners a 25c wage increase that would take them to $12.80/hour despite employing cleaners (sometimes the same people) at $14.62/hour in hospitals and schools.
Their net profit after tax has increased by 40.8% to over $24 million. Their earnings per share is up 25%.
Message to CEO Farnik – stop screwing our cleaners. Maybe you should pay $15 not $14.62/ hour. But $12.80/hour for parliamentary cleaners is just not enough.
The demo boom
Posted by Darien Fenton on February 14th, 2010
Now Parliament is back in full-swing, demos against Government action (or inaction) are heating up again.
Last week, the Corrections Association and PSA protested outside parliament about privatisation of their jobs in prisons.
Representatives from the Northern Action Group and Wellsford Community Action were on Parliament’s forecourt to present a 7,000 signature petition opposing North Rodney being part of the Supercity.
Then, over the weekend, workers angry about the pitiful minimum wage increase, 15% GST and threats to the youth rates protested outside National MP’s offices.
This coming week, there’s plenty going on.
Tuesday sees the ACC Futures Coalition, now joined with the Bikers, back at Parliament protesting ACC cuts and privatisation.
Wednesday the cleaners from Government Buildings, including Parliament, will be banging their buckets because they’re sick of being offered nothing more than minimum wage.
Thursday is Red Bag Day with a march and rally at Parliament organised by Business and Professional Women to remind National that pay equity is still an issue.
And that’s just in parliament. NZEI will continue its national bus tour to highlight the issues around national standards and we’ll be with them wherever we can.
Should be a noisy week. And it’s only February.
NZRU and SPARC scrap Women’s NPC – disgraceful
Posted by Chris Hipkins on January 25th, 2010The Women’s NPC is the only national rugby competition for women. Women also have a very limited international programme, with only two tests in non World Cup years. I’ve been hearing rumours for a couple of weeks that the NZRU board has decided to scrap the Womens’ NPC this year because 26 of the 120 ish players will be at the Women’s Rugby World Cup for part of the competition.
If it’s true, and I’m now pretty confident that it is, the decision has either been made late or very poorly communicated. I understand the Black Ferns’ coaches included playing in the early rounds of the WNPC as part of their published build up to the World Cup. The jump from club rugby to internationals (with about a six week break without any matchplay) is just too much.
While the immediate decision is the responsibility of the NZRU Board a fair bit of the blame falls on SPARC’s shoulders. I understand that they have changed their contracting system with the NZRU so that it’s now loose enough for the Union to wriggle out of putting a tiny proportion of their expenditure into a national womens’ competition.
The fact that the Government gives the Rugby Union money has been the subject of criticism. Part of the justification for the funding has been that it contributes to otherwise non viable youth and womens’ activities. If the contracting method change happened in Labour’s time then we have to take some responsibility – but whenever it happened it is a big mistake.
I hope this decision gets revisited. Competitions like the women’s NPC play an important role in the development of new players and identification of new talent. It’s just disgraceful that those opportunities are being taken away.
Congratulations to school support staff for beating the wage freeze for low paid state workers
Posted by Trevor Mallard on December 16th, 2009They have broken the government wage freeze for low income workers. I was briefed in confidence a week ago and have had to sit on the good news. The Standard has covered it well today.
It just shows what a good campaign can do. Congratulations to the NZEI and especially to the thousands of support staff involved in tipping over the governments refusal to agree to any increase.
Remember the vast majority of these staff earn far less than Bill English got every year for a house in Wellington when he pretended he lived in Dipton for a decade.
Now it is important for Bill English to back Anne Tolley’s agreement with the cash.
Wong Declines to Comment on Top Priority
Posted by Sue Moroney on December 15th, 2009Why is Pansy Wong so media-shy on the issue of Pay Equity?
Last night, she refused to be interviewed on a “special report” on the gender pay gap on TV One and earlier in the year she also refused to be interviewed on a documentary on the subject broadcast on Radio NZ.
Some poor bod in her office realised how bad it would look for the Minister to decline to be interviewed on TV and a statement was belatedly issued, saying “pay equity is a top priority for the Government.”
Yeah, right! If it truly was a top priority, the Minister would take every opportunity to publicise what the Government is doing.
Trouble is, the only things they have done are close down the pay and employment equity unit, scrap pay equity reviews and refuse to hear submissions on the pay equity petition signed by almost 16,000 New Zealanders. Perhaps they mean that reducing pay equity is their top priority?
Wong Set Up to Fail?
Posted by Sue Moroney on December 13th, 2009Well, I couldn’t possibly say it, but right-wing blogger Cactus Kate has.
She says Pansy Wong’s appointment as Minister of Women’s Affairs was done knowing she is incompetent, thereby making it ineffective as a Ministry.
“So it didn’t surprise me she was given a portfolio that needs to be gotten rid of – Women’s Affairs. If her job is to discredit it with incompetence so even the pinkos want to get rid of it, she is perhaps succeeding and John Key is a management genius for gifting her the portfolio” – Cactus Kate 12/12/09
Perhaps that’s also why the Chief Executive has left the job after just one year under the new Minister? Her job was advertised last week.
I think this is the first time I find myself agreeing with the prickly one!
