Source:Â Alcohol Healthwatch
Public health experts and social service and addiction services are alarmed at data released today from Statistics New Zealand showing rapid, substantial increases in the amount of alcohol on the shelves in the second half of 2020. This indicator represents the amount of alcohol excise paid by alcohol companies and is a proxy measure for the populationâs drinking.
Dr Nicki Jackson, Executive Director of Alcohol Healthwatch, and Lt Colonel Lynette Hutson, director of Salvation Army Addiction, Supported Accommodation and Reintegration Services (ASARS), say this increase is concerning for families already under pressure from job loss and uncertainty created by the COVID pandemic.
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Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU
The CTU is welcoming the fall in child poverty recorded by Statistics New Zealand and released today. Craig Renney, the Economist and Director of Policy for the CTU comments, “More is needed to deliver the transformational change that the government has talked about.”
“The numbers of children living in poverty has decreased in percentage terms across the three measures used by the government. It was particularly pleasing to see the fall in child poverty in after housing costs – with a decrease of 45,000 children recorded. The governments Families Package, subsequent welfare reform, and economic growth have helped to bring some measures of child poverty down to the lowest numbers in a decade.”
Its caucus discipline is still shot and Judith Collins clearly has no control over her MPs.
The latest piece of evidence is Simon Bridges attacking Police Commissioner Andy Coster by describing him as being “wokester” and saying he is soft on crime.
Bridges’ portfolios are Justice, Pike River reentry, water and Maori Crown relations. Simeon Brown has the responsibility for Police.
So it is pretty surprising that he is delving into personal attacks on the country’s top police officer.
National Party MP Simon Bridges has taken aim at “wokester” police Commissioner Andy Coster, claiming he is more concerned with being nice than “actually catching criminals”.