12 December 2008 - Labour law and order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove says the National Government is rushing through bail law changes that amount to "nothing more than smoke and mirrors."

12 December 2008 - Mr President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

12 December 2008 - The Government today introduced to Parliament a bill designed to make it harder to get bail. The Bail Amendment Bill is the first step in the Government's Action Plan on Violent Crime, which is to be introduced in the first 100 days of government.

12 December 2008 - The Minister of Fisheries, Phil Heatley, today released the Briefing for Incoming Ministers (BIM) from the Ministry of Fisheries.

12 December 2008 - The Government's 'get tough' and 'more measurement' approach to education is ill-conceived and will have destructive effects, the Green Party says.

In a big step forward, the conference at Poznan have agreed terms in which to rewa

12 December 2008 - The Government's legislation giving employers 'fire at will' rights over employees in their first 90 days of work raises the fear that workers will face a double penalty of a 13 week stand-down for the unemployment benefit, the Green Party says.

12 December 2008 - Foreign Minister Murray McCully today expressed his condolences at the death of former Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas.

12 December 2008 - "Extending the fire-at-will bill to all workers will freeze the labour market rather than free it up," says Public Service Association National Secretary Richard Wagstaff.

Neighbourhood Support is an important way the community can contribute to making New Zealand a safer place, Police Minister Hon Judith Collins says.