This week Simeon Brown used a Deloitte report to criticise Health NZ and accelerate his privatisation message. But, writes Mountain Tui, the Deloitte report appears to reveal a lot more from what it omitted, than what it covered.
National pays electoral homage to our vulnerable children. They talk a big game about putting “the needs of our most vulnerable children and families at the centre of decisions”. Their actions tell a different story – of under-funding at CYF and falling numbers of social workers.
Why are we spending so much money on “defense” when there are so many real and urgent needs? It is hard to imagine that our “enemies” could possibly do us more damage than we are inflicting on ourselves.
A media release from Medicines New Zealand: “While New Zealanders wait for 81 medicines, PHARMAC gives money back”…
Southern DHB sacked – scapegoats for systematic underfunding of the health sector.
The Office of the Ombudsman has budgeted to deal with 800 Official Information Act (OIA) complaints. Last year it got 1913. Other areas of its operations are also underfunded. The Ombudsman is our watchdog against the government. If we want it to do that job effectively, it needs to be funded properly. Watching government departments drag out OIA requests may be fun for ministers, but it doesn’t help the transparency that our democracy needs.
