Australia attracted international condemnation when it refused to allow the refugees ashore on Christmas Island, after a Norwegian freighter the Tampa picked them up off a sinking smuggler's vessel. In the stand-off that followed SAS troops boarded the Tampa, transferring the refugees to the troop carrier the Manoora. A breakthrough came when both New Zealand and Nauru agreed to accept some of the refugees. For the latest on the legal win, we're joined now by ABC reporter Alan Everitt. LIVE
The way New Zealand spends its quarter of a billion dollars in overseas aid every year is been criticised by an independent report released this afternoon. The report says the programme run by the Foreign Affairs Ministry is [illegible] poorly focused and a dumping ground for non-performing staff. And the reviewers describe the ministry as arrogant, elitist and secretive. They also say there is no process for measuring how effective aid spending is and aid money is used to advance New Zealand's political and trade interests. We'll be hearing from the Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff shortly but first I'm joined by our political editor Al Morrison who has read the highly critical report. LIVE WITH DROP IN
Joining us now is the Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff. LIVE
As the deadline draws nearer for Qantas to decide whether it will buy the stricken airline Ansett Australia from Air New Zealand, opposition parties are focussing on the government's role in the whole affair. A team from Qantas is currently in Auckland, pouring over Air New Zealand and Ansett's books, and is expected to decide late tomorrow whether the deal is on. This afternoon, the Prime Minister Helen Clark and the Finance Minister Michael Cullen were briefed on the latest developments at Auckland Airport by the government's appointed negotiator, Rob Cameron. Clare Sziranyi wraps up the day's political developments. PKGE
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Returning to our earlier story - and a specially commissioned report is scathing of New Zealand's overseas aid and development. The government spends a quarter of a billion dollars a year on aid but the report says the programme run by the Foreign Affairs Ministry is ineffective, poorly focused and a dumping ground for non-performing staff. In one incident, half a million dollars was given to the Samoan government to move a building so New Zealand could build a new high commission. And the report quotes one aid project manager who spends five million dollars year, but has never seen any of the programmes and has no idea what they do. The Council for International Development is an umbrella for non-governmental aid agencies - it's been lobbying for change and its executive director Pat Webster joins us now. LIVE
More now on the Air New Zealand crisis - and the worsening problems with Anset Australia are starting to cause problems for ordinary New Zealand travellers. Ansett appears to have just one chance of realistically avoiding receivership a takeover by Qantas. A decision on that is expected by tomorrow night, even though Australia's competition watchdog has said Ansett and Qantas can talk - but has not yet said if they can merge. Eric Frykberg reports. PKGE
Meanwhile, Australia's aviation sector unions are meeting in Melbourne in a [illegible] to protect the jobs of Ansett's nearly 17 thousand employees. The Australian Council of Trade Unions organised today's meeting - I asked the council's secretary Greg Combet (com-bay) what they hope to achieve. PREREC
The Amalgamated Workers Union is sharply critical of the decision to take a South Island trucking firm off the road, describing it as harsh. The Land Transport Safety Authority has revoked Wilder Transport's operating licence following concerns over the safety and maintenance of its vehicle fleet. And the LTSA is warning that Wilders is just one of several South Island transport operators under investigation as the authority clamps down on unsafe practices. Katy Gosset filed this report. PKGE
Growing concern about the role drugs companies are playing in medical research, [illegible] forced 12 top international medical journals to form a joint policy they say is aimed at maintaining scientific integrity.
The New Zealand Medical Journal is one of the publications which have acted after several cases which saw firms trying to bury research that was unfavourable to their drugs, or trying to put a positive spin on the results. Fiona Wilde has this report. PKGE
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