'I'm just trying to keep my family together'.

If thats actually true, we'll either see his family split apart, or conclude he can manage to live off his ministerial salary.

I'm waiting for any comment from Mr Perkbuster too.

from
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10600100

I'm waiting for any comment from Mr Perkbuster too

has any media asked him? does anyone know?

I was wondering about the sincerity of Bill English, not the accuracy of that quote

Is an accommodation supplement of $45k a year required for him to do that?

Probably not, but if you really want to go there I don't see why MPs really need heavily subsidized housing in the first place. If rental property on the open market in Wellington is too much?

Probably not, but if you really want to go there I don't see why MPs really need heavily subsidized housing in the first place. If rental property on the open market in Wellington is too much for damn Ministers of the Crown (or backbenchers who aren't exactly on the minimum?

I'd really rather that Bill English was giving his full attention to the economy, rather fire-fighting over the relatively small sum at stake in his accommodation expenses problem.

I should point out that to most people, $42,000 a year is a substantial sum of money.

It's more than the median?

Probably not, but if you really want to go there I don't see why MPs really need heavily subsidized housing in the first place.

I don't mind the subsidy. I think the new system they've set up is a bit on the high side, but these people have to live?

To be fair, Craig, anyone who's required to live away from home by their employment will reasonably expect their employer to provide accommodation.

Up to a point, Matthew. The BH moved up here from Wellington six months before we could sell the house — the company put him up in?

What stinks is English moving his entire family to Wellington and then claiming that his "home" is in Dipton.

This to me seems like the obvious test – is it really that difficult? You have a "first" house which is your main home (various quantitative tests could be put in?

If they choose to live in Wgtn while claiming to represent an area?

Good. English isn't the only MP fleecing the taxpayer (it looks like Anderton does an even better job of it for instance), but he's the only one who's Minister of Finance.

The Nats must be holding their heads in their hands?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/627004

An important point with trusts and when there might be 'stripback' is timing. I suspect that if you legitimately shifted funds to a trust while the business was all above board then it may not occur????

An important point with trusts and when there might be 'stripback' is timing. I suspect that if you legitimately shifted funds to a trust while the business was all above board then it may not occur?

It's three years since I learned about trusts, and I'm sure the lawyers around?

A secondary residence, available only to electorate MPs

I'd argue against that as well. Green List MPs (of which all of them are) seem to have spread themselves around the country and are doing local work as well as central government work. Dunedin has also had a National party list?

yeah, sorry about that. I realised what you meant but was providing the quote because I felt a little lazy for not doing so in the first place.
I was a bit grumpy about the whole Double Dipton thing and tapped out my reply a little hastily :-)

Double Dipton

We likes that.

I don't know what Mary is doing nowadays, but when I knew her she was working for the Newtown Union Health Service — not exactly Wellywood's answer to Harley Street.

She's in Thorndon now, Craig. Hardly the ghetto.

What gets me is that English continues to benefit from antediluvian attitudes?

is double what most benficiaries make in a year

they have to declare any and all income including savings (anything except kiwisaver counts) interests in trusts and assets and their benefits are reduced accordingly.

and any chance in?

It's more than the median income, for Cthulhu's sake.

Cthulu-Southland's sake to be precise...

Personally, I'd be much happier if MPs and Ministers got their housing allowances abolished and replaced with a one-off pay hike.

How about giving each party $250k for each elected member, with a proviso that they account for how it's spent.

Then they could have each MP live on an?

can be used to keep bankrupts and other swindlers living in "manner they have become accustomed"

Whilst there is no doubt some bankrupts are swindlers and vice versa this phrase is very unfortunate. People go bankrupt for many reasons are most are not due to swindling.

As a business owner?

the
"the relatively small sum at stake in his accommodation expenses problem."

is double what most benficiaries make in a year

I meant in the context of the economy and the government's spending. For most actual people, yes, it is a hell of a lot of money.

"the relatively small sum at stake in his accommodation expenses problem."
is double what most benficiaries make in a year

The great majority of beneficiaries must get by on under $15k p.a, including any rent allowances.

Also English's Government has quietly halved the allowance of respite care for the elderly,?

I quite agree with you Don, there is a place for this sort of thing. A division between business and your home.

I can't see that place in relation to Bill English's?

I do find it obscene that there's an untaxable allowance available to Ministers that is greater than the median national income, and that even backbench MPs can claim one that's barely less than the minimum wage ($12.5*40*52=$26,000, against a standard MP's allowance of $24,500).

Nail, head.

Actually, for most of that time the electorate was Wallace (which was the electorate English originally entered parliament for. I just can't have details wrong on the internet.

"that's barely less than the minimum?

What possible financial risk could Bill English be facing that needs his house to be in a trust?

Not him I suspect,rather his wife. Presumably she is self employed and along with most other self employed professionals has separated the home from the business should the potential of liabilities she?

Absolutely, Sue. And the fact that English seems able to pay everything back so quickly shows just how much he must have stashed away already. Seriously — if you can pay back your entitlements with that little fuss you don't need them.

Um, Caleb, I paid a modest but reasonably?

Isn't an allowance tax free, unlike wages?

Yes. Hence my use of the word "untaxable" in the same paragraph. So once you account for tax, the housing allowance alone puts backbenchers in a better financial situation than is accorded to those on the minimum wage. Even with rebates and everything?

I'd like to introduce you to some medical professionals of my acquaintance who'd piss their pants laughing at the idea that a medical degree is a license to print money

A quick google and a range of anywhere from 150k to 250k per annum is indicated for a GP.

It?

Dunedin has also had a National party list MP open up an office and do work in town, which gives an alternative to Labour who could put a monkey up and win both Dunedin seats.

I have to disagree – after all that's how Richard Walls got in .... the?

yet no government has ever seen fit to tidy the rules up a bit.
Yes MPs being with their family's and partners is important, it just seems so excessive.

Sorry but I just don't see what Mary English's presumed income — or that of any other Parliamentary spouse — has to do with anything. If anyone in Parliament wants to complain that they find it hard to make ends meet on their far from stingy salaries, my?

It's more than the median income, for Cthulhu's sake.

Cthulu-Southland's sake to be precise...

Holy Molyneux! Likes that one too.

Perhaps we need an allowance for MPs that live in Wellington, yet have electorate consituencies elsewhere. In addition to the budget they have for their constituancy office, they could get a "visting my electorate" allowance.

Wouldn't that be the standard parliamentary business allowance for staying away from home?

Problem is?

Um, Caleb, I paid a modest but reasonably substantial tax bill — as often happens to freelancers who don't earn a regular income — with "little fuss" by dipping into my savings.

Congratulations, Craig. That's fantastic. Um, this is relevant ... how?

To be blunt, Caleb, so fucking what?

You?

I'd really rather that Bill English was giving his full attention to the economy, rather fire-fighting over the relatively small sum at stake in his accommodation expenses problem.

Yup. 'Nuff sed.

stretch the definition of "Where I Live"

You mean lie about it with intent to enrich oneself? I don't care about the rest of the details, that's the salient one here.

As has been pointed out repeatedly, spousal income is taken into account for other beneficiaries of public money.

And once more, I couldn't give a tinkers cuss about the supposed vast amounts of money Mary English is supposedly raking in. Even if Mary English was a stay at home wife?

and quite probaly what he did was legally ok
but i'd like to think naively think our politicians are?

IMHO Bill seems such a lovely guy but he's such an unknown quantity.

I'd really rather that Bill English was giving his full attention to the economy, rather fire-fighting over the relatively small sum at stake in his accommodation expenses problem.

Yup. 'Nuff sed.

Wait, if he hadn't told an untruth about where he lived, by any reasonable definition, then he wouldn't be?

Also English's Government has quietly halved the allowance of respite care for the elderly, from two weeks to one.

When did this happen? That's going to affect a lot of people quite negatively.

I believe that applications for respite care are?

Hilary, which organisation do you reckon would do best with this, and handle it sensitively? Joe, I realise you might well have some preferences and contacts too.

You made a claim about Mary English's working conditions that was incorrect.

What assertion what that, dear? Oh, a perfectly factual statement about where she was working when I was last aware of the fact and the utter irrelevance of it, in my view, to the discussion. Chris Carter was?

Have we been told of other Ministers or MPs who are pretending to live somewhere other than Wellington so they can claim an allowance?

I think the closest ,recently, are the two Labour MP's that Russell mentioned in his piece,namely Bunkle and Hobbs.
Now while they their circumstances were just?

For Bill English to claim that he needed the extra allowance to get by on while living in Wellington, would possibly mean that he was living beyond his means.
Is that really a good trait to have in?

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English was returning to Wellington from his home in Dipton to deal with the situation. He was expected to update media this afternoon.

He is trying to behave now, though, isn't he? Unfortunately, a bit late. I think we can all see through?

Hilary, which organisation do you reckon would do best with this, and handle it sensitively?

They're two different questions. If it is a policy change it has come from the Minister of Health so he should announce it. If it has happened because one/some of the many organisations that approve?

I think the closest ,recently, are the two Labour MP's that Russell mentioned in his piece,namely Bunkle and Hobbs.

Bunkle was a Green MP.

Wait, if he hadn't told an untruth about where he lived, by any reasonable definition, then he wouldn't be distracted.

All the same, I'd rather he wasn't distracted. Unless he gets sacked and replaced, of course, then someone can get on with the quite important job of being the Finance?

After what I've seen over the last few years I would never again expect some of the Misery of Health's staff to behave sensitively or even with basic human?

There are things I could and should do, such as contact Age Concern and see if they're prepared?

Bunkle was a Green MP.

Alliance, she stayed with them when the Greens split.

Tim: Wouldn't it be nice if that was the case?

What part wasn't the case, Craig? They were Ministers, they got in trouble, they 'offered' their resignations, which were accepted. Bill English was a senior opposition?

What part wasn't the case, Craig? They were Ministers, they got in trouble, they 'offered' their resignations, which were accepted. Bill English was a senior opposition MP at the time who must – or really should – have taken some interest in it.

My position for a long time is?

Green MP Catherine Delahunty has a Disability Commissioner Bill in the private members' ballot, and hopefully it will be drawn in the near future. If we had one now would be just the sort of agency to deal with these issues and hopefully ensure they don't happen?

By its nature respite care is a temporary measure, and it just happens that the person in question has elected to go into full-time care by next winter. While the availability of respite care is no longer the issue of the?

you shouldn't be too surprised when people take advantage.

...and are utterly oblivious to how any reasonable person could possibly take exception. Seriously, I don't think folks like Hobbs and English really get how any could think there's anything tacky-fingered about their financial arrangements, which somehow makes it that much?

It's encouraging to see disability treated as a universal human issue, rather than the fragmented approach of focusing on the problems of a particular group.

We are social creatures, we depend on one and other, all of us do. Bill English's selfish behavior, makes him look less than dependable.

Attacking Marian for lack of integrity was the cruellest thing anyone could do.

Um, plenty of people around here have already strung up English for outright fraud. I think Hobbs and Bunkle and English all deserved to be attacked for serious lack of judgment rather than malice or corruption, and?

Alliance, she stayed with them when the Greens split.

Duh me.

I think it is time someone stood up for Marian and Phillida since there seems to be a move to put them in the same boat as the current situation.

I think on a scale of dodgy, it wasn't?

I think on a scale of dodgy, it wasn't quite Bill English dodgy, but it still rated.

So they were dodgy to a lesser degree, but they offered their resignations and had the resignations accepted. Which is entirely proper, especially when one is a Minister.
What do we get from?

That is why we despise what Bill English has done.

Who "we", dear?

If he was a backbencher on the bones with his large family to look after and if his wife wasn't working then we would probably give him some slack.

Play me the world's smallest violin, darling!- I'd?

Attacking Marian for lack of integrity was the cruellest thing anyone could do. Neither MP did anything with malicious intent. There were messy unclear situations for which they took advice which turned out to be wrong.

I do see the two cases a little differently. Bunkle's declared main residence was?

Bunkle's declared main residence was only just outside the Wellington boundary.

I don't think she's the only one, either. There are a few urbanised areas that sit nicely just outside the circle, in various electorates.

neither of them employed arrangements anything like as exotic at English's.

I don't think __anyone__?

Bunkle's declared main residence was only just outside the Wellington boundary. If I recall correctly, Hobbs was in the position she was in in part because her marriage broke up. But neither of them employed arrangements anything like as exotic at English's.

And the point is? Yes, it sucks when?

Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) member Andrew Dickerson yesterday sent out a media release criticising the health system for sanctioning the debate of the?

I thought District Annual Plans had to be publically consulted on for changes – unless they are somehow defining this as an insignificant difference from previous DAPs.

Note that?