Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And with us right now, we have Barry Sober, senior
political correspondent, Barry.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good afternoon, Heather.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Do you make of the booing at the netball.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well, I've got to say I listened tried to listen
to it several times, and I couldn't really hear it.
And it's not because I'm hard of hearing.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
It's just, of course, is because you're heart here.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
No, it's not. I wound it right up. I really
the level of booing was very low compared to what
I've seen of prime ministers in the past. But would
you expect it at a netball final? I don't know.
I think it was pretty good of the Prime Minister
to turn up. I don't think there would be many
prime ministers that would turn up and sit through the match.
I mean, it's a great match obviously, but look, he
(00:40):
wasn't too concerned about it being booed. Chris likes and
says didn't surprise him greatly.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Look, it's not uncommon for politicians to be booed at
some events. But I just say I was treated really well.
People were very very nice to me at that event,
and they often are across the whole of the country.
I don't want that to take away from what wasn't
absolutely fen testic game between the Mystics and the Tactics,
and for the Tactics to come through and when they
hadn't done for a long time was pretty special. You know,
there's always elements that will be frustrated with government. I
(01:08):
get that. That goes with being a politician.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yep. So there you go. He's taking it in astride which.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Come on stopping like this. You know that if you get,
if you if you go to you said, why don't
you repeat to us what you said about netball crowds earlier.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
No, I won't. My three daughters they went through netball
and I was on the side of the court every
Saturday watching netballs. I know the game pretty well.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Yeah, and what you said is not surprising. A rouple
of lefties and it's very working class.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I'm all left leaning, I said, the the people that
turn up to watch and.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
When we called Ginny Woods to confirm whether you are correct,
what is should she and all of this, she's like
the voice of netball.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Oh yeah, because it's just as you heard last night.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
But listen, Barry, in all seriousness, regardless of you know
yes anyway, regardless. The thing is if a prime minister
is turning up eighteen months into his prime ministership to
a crowd full of mums who listened to CODs, right
and getting booed, that's not that's not a good looking.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Well, I'll tell you what. The first quarter of an
hour of today's press conference and I thought, really, you
know you shouldn't do this as a press conference because
you meant to be there answering questions. First fifteen minutes
were spent on what they've done over the past year
for the economy. Too long. Yeah, they've got to have
some advice that it's a press conference, it's not a speech.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Do you not think though, if you're going and I
think where this netball game was being held is really important, right,
it's in west Auckland. West Auckland is the place you
have to win if you want to win an election.
But also a bunch of tradees they think like normal people.
So the fact that he's been due to that extent
I think is reasonably sir.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Okay, drive home the point here, but you're not making
it to me. But that's fine anyway.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Whatever, Okay, talk to me then about what's going on
with the merchants, but the merchant fee that's being and
the search arges, I'm not convinced by.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Well, the big but there's something that's always been one
of my bug bears, as you well know, when you
go to pay a restaurant bill and you see six
bucks or whatever added on to the end of the
bill because you've got to pay for your credit card use.
I think that's outrageous and I've said some on this
program before. So they're doing away with those, But then
who picks up the cost? Well, the obviously the retailer
(03:22):
picks up the cost, and you'll see it probably an
increased food bill charges and restaurants. You'll see it probably
in prices and retail stores. But I'll tell you what
the Minister of Finance, and you've got to remember if
you look at banks, because there's a feeling that banks
should be picking up this. But the four big banks
(03:42):
now account for nearly a quarter, or nearly one in
six dollars of corporate tax collected in this country. So
they are the best government customers in this country. They
contribute two point five billion dollars in taxes.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Is that why?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Easy? A bit yeah, exactly. But if you listen to
the Finance minister, if you're sitting her chair, you can
understand her steering clear of the banks the retailers having
to absorb the cost, while Nikola Willis doesn't believe they'll
pass it on to the consumer.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
Well, look, I would certainly encourage them not to do that,
and I think you'd find that small businesses. No, it's
a pretty competitive world out there, and if they do that,
they might lose some shoppers. The evidence from the EU
and the UK is that there's no broad evidence that
that occurred.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah, well you know, don't count on that happening in
New Zealand. I would say no.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Verry, thanks very much appreciated. There's very so for senior
political correspondent. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen
live to news Talks.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.