The Mike Hosking Breakfast

• Mike's Minute: The pay equity changes are in muddied water

  Here is another example of the way the pay equity game is played by the media. If you choose not to call a minister the c-word, you run a headline like this - "Ministers set to take big pay rises right after wiping 33 pay equity claims". That’s the headline in Newsroom. It is dishonest in its inference. It's emotive and it misrepresents what is happening. In that is the Government's battle to try and convince the casual observer there is merit in what they have done in changing the law. First, a minister's pay and an equity claim are two completely different things. Second, a minister's pay is not equity based because a woman minister gets what a male minister gets. Always has, always will. Making it slightly more complicated, is a minister's pay is not merit based. They all get the same no matter how hard they work, how many portfolios they have and how good they are, or aren't. Third, although the 33 equity claims were wiped, it doesn’t mean they were stopped from going ahead under new rules. It doesn't mean they won't succeed under new rules. We have yet to see how that unfolds. Fourth, and part of the reason for the rule change, is a lot of the claims were not equity claims. They were bargaining, masquerading as equity from unions. Fifth, the fact a minister gets a pay rise is not of a minister's doing. It's an independent body, over which a minister has no control. Like an equity claim, the body looks at similar work to a minister's and makes a call based on those numbers. The irony is, who can you compare to a minister? You can't of course. A Prime Minister is also unique, so it’s a muddle. It's a system that is okay, only because we can't think of another one. But at no point is it about equity. The emotion of the debate overtook the rationale of the debate the moment Brooke van Velden made the announcement and it’s gone downhill ever since. Sixth, the headline uses the word "claim". In ministerial pay there is no claim, just an occasional decision, independently reached. So overall in terms of discourse around a detailed, if not complex, issue, apples and apples is what you might hope for, not immaturity and muddied waters. Which is what we've got. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Steve Price: Australia Correspondent on Sussan Ley becoming the leader of the Australian Liberal Party

  Sussan Ley has become the first woman to lead Australia's Liberal Party. She's been deputy for three years and has been appointed leader in a tight ballot, edging out Treasury spokesperson Angus Taylor. It comes after former leader Peter Dutton lost his seat in the recent election. Australia Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking Ley's switched on, as a qualified commercial airline pilot. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Full Show Podcast: 14 May 2025

  On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 14th of May, Finance Minister Nicola Willis is on after announcing the first Super Fund withdrawal will come years earlier than expected. The Government is planning on investing $140 million into improving school attendance – Associate Education Minister David Seymour elaborates. Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell discuss Jevon McSkimming, missing the new 500 police targets, and pay equity on Politics Wednesday. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Jennie Wyllie: Netball New Zealand CEO on player eligibility, the Commonwealth Games

  Netball officials are at the whim of the Commonwealth Games scheduling as they explore player eligibility options. Pressure is mounting on the New Zealand governing body to allow overseas-based athletes to feature for the Silver Ferns. The players' association has suggested moving the domestic tournament before or after the Australian competition, so their members can compete in both. Netball New Zealand boss Jennie Wyllie told Mike Hosking they don’t control the Commonwealth Games, and it becomes difficult from a broadcast and commercial perspective when it keeps moving. She says that ideally, they’d have some certainty, and the Games would sit outside of the window, but they’re at the whim of how the Federations plan it. Wyllie's open to shifting the local competition from 2027. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Mark Johnston: Calder Stewart Land & Delivery Manager on the construction of an inland port in Otago

  A planned $3 billion inland port in Otago hopes to support soaring freight volumes in the region. Construction of the Milburn Quadrant, north of Milton, is expected to start within two years. It comes as forecasts predict freight volumes from Central and South Otago are expected to grow 30-40% over the next decade. Project Developer Mark Johnston told Mike Hosking the development will include a 55-hectare inland port, offering freight storage and connected to the South Island’s main trunk rail line. He says it will be similar to Hamilton's Ruakura inland port and offer land for other industrial development. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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