NZ Herald afternoon news update: July 28, 2025
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Otago Daily Times
35 minutes ago
- Otago Daily Times
Court win for pro-Palestinian rally on Sydney Harbour Bridge
Pro-Palestinian protesters will march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge after a court authorised the rally despite police attempting to have it prohibited. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to shut down the Sunday march on public safety grounds. Thousands of protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday, and Justice Rigg chose to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient to bar the protest. "It is in the very nature of the entitlement to peaceful protest that disruption will be caused to others," she said. Justice Rigg noted there was significant support for the march from hundreds of organisations including Amnesty International, various churches, the Jewish Council of Australia, the nurses and midwives association and other trade unions. The decision means protesters will have certain legal immunity and protections from offences like blocking or obstructing traffic or pedestrians. The decision was a win for humanity and a defeat of the "anti-protest Minns Labor government", NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson said. "The court was crystal clear that a protest being inconvenient does not mean it can be stopped. In fact, that's the whole point of the protest," she said. Ms Higginson said people had the absolute right to protest "whether police want them to and whether the premier wants them to or not, and tomorrow our iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and our humanity will speak to the world". Protesters are expected to march from the CBD, across the bridge to North Sydney. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. Meanwhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believe Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel have fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis due to the Israeli government blocking aid from entering Gaza and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year-long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.
Scoop
35 minutes ago
- Scoop
What Officials Said About Pay Equity Changes
Article – RNZ Treasury documents show the pay equity reset was key to meeting the coalition's cost-cutting goals., Political Reporter The minister who ushered through the pay equity changes said any limitations on workers' rights were justified in order to reduce the risks to employers. A document dump from the Treasury and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) showed the processes the government went through to change the pay equity framework, and then return contingency funding to the Budget allowances. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden, who introduced the legislation, acknowledged the changes would likely be contentious, but were necessary to meet the government's policy objectives of keeping a pay equity system, while changing the framework for assessing whether there is sex-based undervaluation. The government worked on the changes in secret, before announcing the amendment bill in May and passing it under urgency. At the Budget, Finance Minister Nicola Willis revealed the changes had saved $12.8 billion over the forecast period. 'This is justified' – Brooke van Velden The short timeframe to get the bill passed before the Budget meant there had been 'limited testing and analysis' of the policy proposals, and the retrospective provisions in the bill were 'inconsistent' with general principles. MBIE acknowledged the transitional provisions would likely be 'contentious' but without them it was unlikely the amendments would 'meet the policy objective of ensuring the regime achieves pay equity, whilst better managing claims, and ensuring costs are related to sex-based differences in remuneration.' The legal risks remained redacted, and the bill had no Regulatory Impact Statement. The process was also kept secret to prevent a surge of claims being lodged and potentially determined under the existing Employment Relations Act. The acting Attorney-General, Paul Goldsmith's consideration of the bill concluded that while it imposed limits on the right to freedom from discrimination, the right to justice, and freedom of expression, it was still consistent with the Bill of Rights Act. The paper van Velden took to Cabinet for approval, included in MBIE's document dump, shows she considered any limitations on the rights to be justified. 'I consider that this is justified to meet the policy intent of allowing employers to better manage their operations, reducing potential risks to an employer's financial viability, which may lead to a reduction in employment or the quality or quantity of services provided,' van Velden wrote. Finding the contingencies In December 2023, shortly after assuming the government benches, the finance minister requested more information on how the pay equity forecasts worked and whether there were any upcoming large claims. In February 2024, the Treasury reported back, saying the approach brought in by the previous government had contributed to higher cost outcomes, as it disincentivised agencies and funded sector employers from taking a lower-cost bargaining approach. 'While the current Pay Equity process does require agencies to seek a bargaining contingency prior to the bargaining phase, this occurs late in the process, and many of the potential parameters for settlement are already largely agreed between the parties,' officials said. 'The absence of financial incentives during the pre-bargaining phase may have contributed to agencies adopting approaches which exceed the minimum requirements of the Equal Pay Act, for example, agreeing to higher paid comparators when lower paid ones would be appropriate.' It also meant the Cabinet had 'poor visibility' of the costs, until parties were at or near settlement. Treasury said pay equity costs were managed outside of Budget allowances, and there was merit in exploring an approach that brought some or all of the costs back within Budget allowances. By April 2024, Cabinet had agreed to a reset, bringing pay equity funding into two centralised tagged contingencies: one for the funded sector, the other for the public sector. This still allowed the government to meet its legal obligations as an employer, but was deemed to support the coalition's fiscal strategy. However, by the end of 2024, the government was looking to disestablish the funded sector contingency, identifying it as a significant spending commitment. It expected service providers to manage their own claims, with any cost pressures they created managed like any other cost pressure: through the Budget process. How the money was found Nicola Willis chose to close the funded sector contingency and return the funding to the Budget 2025 allowance and capital allowance. This saved $9.6b over the forecast period. For the public sector contingency, Treasury recommended it be retained, but at a reduced level. 'On balance, we consider retaining the contingency at [redacted] for residual costs to protect future allowances to be preferable given the legal obligations on the Crown as an employer under the new Act and Treasury's judgment that we can quantify the impacts with more than 50 percent confidence,' Treasury wrote. The government adopted this approach, with the tagged public sector contingency reduced by $3.2b over the forecast period. In total, the changes returned around $12.8b to the Budget 2025 operating and capital allowances. Closing or reducing the contingencies without some certainty from Cabinet on policy change, however, was seen to potentially 'strain the credibility' of future Budget allowances. And so, the future approach to pay equity was developed. Van Velden's legislation discontinued 33 claims and increased the threshold for what qualified as work that was 'predominantly performed by female employees.' All review clauses under settled claims became unenforceable.
Scoop
35 minutes ago
- Scoop
Henry Puna Calls New Zealand's Involvement In Cook Islands Politics ‘Improper'
Article – RNZ The former Cook Islands prime minister says the 'special nature' of the relationship between the two nations must be 'underpinned by respect'. Caleb Fotheringham, in Rarotonga Former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna says he thinks it is 'improper' for New Zealand to involve itself in the 'domestic affairs' of the island nation and issues between the two countries should be resolved behind closed doors. Puna has become the new president of the Cook Islands Party, the same party that Prime Minister Mark Brown leads. When asked whether he became president of the party because of the current state of the relationship between the Cook Islands and New Zealand governments, Puna said his interest was domestic, 'to see the Cook Islands Party become stronger and remain united'. Foreign Minister Winston Peters has challenged Brown to hold an independence referendum' following agreements the Cook Islands signed with China in February that Wellington feels it was not consulted on. Puna said Peters' comments are in the minds of the Cook Islands people. 'Given the special nature of our relationship with New Zealand, it must be underpinned by respect. 'I think it is a bit improper for New Zealand to be involving themselves into our domestic affairs. I don't think that is respectful of our relationship' Puna said he wants the Cook Islands and New Zealand to talk about 'these slight complications' in private. He said it 'was a bit tough' that New Zealand paused $18.2m in development funding last month while meetings between foreign officials were still taking place but said it was New Zealand's call. Puna said the Cook Islands Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was very similar to a partnership agreement New Zealand signed with China in 2014. 'So really, there is nothing unusual about it, but you will also notice that security is not an issue in that agreement, for obvious reasons.' When asked why it was obvious, Puna said the Cook Islands was mindful of New Zealand's and its other partners security concerns. But he added that security in the traditional sense is not a big issue for Pacific leaders. 'For us, security really is about being safe from the effects of climate change, and not with the traditional army, armed activities, that New Zealand and the others are concerned about.' Puna said he 'would have quite happily signed [the agreements with China]' if he was in Brown's place and he signed a similar agreement, while also making a state visit in 2013. He said there are opportunities with China. One is the Cook Islands and China are halving the cost of a $6m interisland vessel. 'Our government raised that with New Zealand years ago, and it was flatly rejected that, you know, they wouldn't help,' Puna said. The New Zealand government has said the Cook Islands can not have United Nations membership while it remains in free association. It was something Puna wanted while he was prime minister and for a period it was floated by Brown. 'I had a conversation with the legal office of the United Nations, who told me quite openly that, in their view, we were qualified to be admitted as a member of the UN,' Puna said. 'But given our special relationship with New Zealand, I decided to raise the issue with Prime Minister John Key and the officials in Wellington at the time, their response was very clear. They didn't agree with it, so we didn't push it.' The Cook Islands is currently celebrating 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand. Puna said he was proud of where the country has come. He said a major achievement over the past 60-years was building the international airport. It unlocked tourism in the country, which underpins the economy. For the future, Puna wants the economy to be the focus. 'Everything else will fall into place and I'm confident that we have the makings of, you know, a growing and a sound economy…these nights watching our young ones on the stage at the auditorium, performing with pride. I have a lot of confidence in our future, in the hands of our young people.'
