Both Parliamentary watchdogs hammer Fast-track bill

Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā

My pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:

1. The Lead: The Auditor General, John Ryan, has joined the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE), Simon Upton, in criticising the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill, saying it gave too much unaccountable power to ministers and risked creating conflicts of interests. Submissions from AG and PCE. (Paying subscribers can read more detail and analysis below the paywall fold and hear more in the podcast above.)

2. A global poll by Ipsos has found a waning appetite among voters and consumers to address climate change, either themselves, or indirectly through pressure on Governments and businesses, while the young are becoming increasingly fatalistic. The poll was also done in Aotearoa-NZ in February and found similar trends, albeit at less concerning levels. (Paying subscribers can see charts and more detail and analysis below the paywall fold and hear more in the podcast above.)

3. The collapse in business and consumer confidence linked to a slump in confidence in the right track/wrong track measure of confidence in the Government is flowing through into retail spending, which is now falling in both inflation adjusted and nominal terms, particularly for those with mortgages. Wellington and Auckland are faring worst, in that order. Westpac.

4. Air NZ yesterday announced domestic fare increases approaching 30% on some routes, sparking calls for a Commerce Commission inquiry. (See more in our ‘pick of the links’ collection for paying subscribers)

5. Genesis Energy has warned it will have to import more coal because of a shortage of new gas, again begging the question of why the big four gentailers have not invested more heavily in building already-consented wind farms they have planned. They chose not to build to keep dividends elevated, and because of uncertainty about the future of Tiwai Point. (See more in our ‘pick of the links’ collection for paying subscribers)

6. The eviction of a tiny home owner in Auckland has illustrated again the conflicting series of regulatory controls on house type and size that discourages the addition of tiny houses to housing supply. Stuff

(Paying subscribers can see more detail and analysis below the paywall and in the podcast above. We’ll open it up for public reading, listening and sharing if we get over 100 likes.)

The Lead: Watchdogs combine to slate Fast-track bill