On this week’s Across The Ditch bulletin on Australia’s 5AA, Selwyn Manning and Peter Godfrey discuss the forced apology of Judith ‘Crusher’ Collins for misleading by omission.
Also discussed is Tropical Cyclone Lusi bears down on New Zealand’s North Island.
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ISSUE ONE: The minister most tipped to replace John Key as New Zealand’s prime minister, Judith Collins, has been forced to apologise to both the New Zealand public and to the Prime Minister after John Key found her to have “misled by omission” a perceived conflict of interest.
Collins, who is the National-led Government’s Minister of Justice, had traveled to China as a Minister on official government business. But while in China, Judith Collins was found to have visited a business that her husband is a director of.
The manager of the company was also a ‘close family friend’.
The perceived conflict of interest arose when Collins failed to record the private visit to officials in the Cabinet office, and after the Labour Party produced details of her sojourn.
On numerous occasions this week, Collins said the visit was just a stop off cup of tea visit while on the way to the airport.
But yesterday (Wednesday) the Prime Minister revealed he had reprimanded Collins for omitting that she had also had dinner with her husband’s business colleagues where a Chinese Government official was present, and had attended two business meetings.
The company also had promoted her visit, citing Collins as having given the company’s milk products her ministerial endorsement. She disputes that.
The Prime Minister was reported yesterday as saying Collins had “misled by omission” and had a responsibility to reveal all the meetings she had in China, private or not, saying “she certainly should have made me aware of [the dinner].
“Judith had a responsibility when she was asked the questions not just to answer the question directly but to tell me and the New Zealand public everything that had gone on,” John Key said.
He said if there was a repeat of this, he wouldn’t want to be in her shoes… a comment suggestive that Collins is on a final warning.
Collins appeared Wednesday night on the 3News network’s Campbell Live programme where she reiterated an apology, and noted that apologies are extremely rare for her personally.
ISSUE TWO: New Zealand’s North Islanders are going to be battered by Cyclone Lusi as the weakening tropical storm tracks southward toward Northland and Auckland.
In preparation for the storm, the Metservice is warning of gales and heavy rain and for people to check boat and yacht moorings, and to tie down and secure their properties.
The Metservice issued the following statement: Cyclone Lusi is expected to move out of the tropics Friday or Saturday. Current forecasts track Lusi just west of the North Island on Saturday, then across the upper South Island on Sunday, before moving away to the east on Monday.
And WeatherWatch’s Philip Duncan warns how Tropical Cyclone Lusi is intensifying as it leaves Vanuatu and tracks southward through the warm open Pacific Ocean toward New Zealand.
Weather Watch expects the storm will weaken once it arrives this weekend but heavy rain and severe gales are looking likely for parts of the North Island, especially the upper North Island.
In the Pacific people refer to this time of year as the cyclone season. With Cyclone Lusi approaching, and ex-Cyclone Gillian bringing heavy rain to Australia’s north Queensland western Cape, the cyclone season label looks very true indeed.
Across The Ditch broadcasts live on 5AA Australia, and webcasts on TheDailyBlog.co.nz, LiveNews.co.nz, and ForeignAffairs.co.nz.
I am surprised at the lack of reaction to the Judith Collins stories on your blog site. There also seems little appetite for discussion on talkback radio. Does this indicate a lack of interest or have people gone off milk, or both.
Wouldn’t trust Collins as far as I could throw her.
Most of these NACT Party people appear to be in Government to feather their own nests, I might be wrong but looks that way to me.
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