12 LISTENER JUNE 8 2019
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We had three days of intemperate language over an
issue that was less serious than an internet spoiler
about what happens next in a TV series. And, in
its wider sense, it is a problem the whole world is
grappling with unsuccessfully: internet security.
By its fourth day, the silly phoney war was always
destined to be eclipsed by the full release of the
Budget. Even at our press time, which comes before
the Budget speech, the Listener felt confident in
predicting that the contents rather than the form of
its release would properly be dominating the news- albeit with a good coating of Resene Raspberry.
Politicians and the media are almost childishly
exhilarated by leaks, but Budget leaks are an
increasingly low-calorie rush. It’s decades since
the term “Budget secret” was treated as holy writ.
“No surprises” has sensibly replaced the secrecy
imperative when our governments decide who
gets what. Keeping people in the dark about their
future resources until some arbitrary date is not just
unnecessary, it’s counterproductive.
A few Budget decisions, which could affect
markets, need to be kept under
wraps, but in most cases it’s a
struggle to find big surprises in
the annual tome.
This “Well-being” one is a bit
different as it’s pioneering new
ways of measuring the effect of
those spending decisions. But that
was no secret.
So, the National Party’s getting
its hands on a quantity of Budget
data was, while annoying for the
Government and a fleeting morale-
booster for the Opposition, hardly
sound reason to up the statins.FOOL’S GOLD
Finance Minister Grant Robertson
should simply have made the point
that although Simon Bridges may
have had the thrill of announcing
some of the Budget, the polls
suggest the Opposition leaderremains as far as ever from being
able to write one himself.
Instead, the Government went
into full witch-hunt mode, and – be
careful what you look for – found
it had rather more to worry about
than National’s naughty spoilers.
The Treasury had
just been subject
to a systematic
hacking attempt,
which is now
under urgent
investigation.Even that isn’t much of a
shock. Hackers, as ineradicable as
cockroaches, can get in anywhere.
This attack is part of a serious global
problem, but it’s not a rarity. In fact,
the surprise would have been finding
our Treasury had never been targeted.
There was some harrumphing that,
had it not been going after National,
the Government might never have
noticed the attack. But again, what
difference would not knowing have
made, given that such determined
hacks are not ifs but whens, and how
oftens?
The grave threat hacking poses to
global security is the reason we link
with other countries’ intelligence
agencies. This attack shows how
epidemic the problem is. It does not,
however, show that National has
malign global tentacles.
An uncharacteristically cranky
Robertson rashly linked the Treasury
hack to National’s possession
of Budget leaks – as if Russian
or Chinese cyber-ninjas were
fossicking about in the minutiae of
New Zealand Police staffing costs
for the benefit of a small nation’s
Opposition.
Just as foolishly, Bridges responded
with the incandescence of someone
accused of drowning kittens. One
minute he was cock-a-hoop, spraying
nicked Budget material around, next
he was molten at the suggestion he
was using ill-gotten gains.
At the point the cyberattack
on our national security came to
light, a prime minister-in-waiting
might perhaps have expressed
concern and put aside short-rangeP
osh British paint company
Farrow & Ball has a new colour
called Sulking Room Pink. A
smouldering puce with ashy
undertones of pale fury, it’s
the exact shade some of our politicians
turned this week over the Budget leak.
POLITICS
Budget leaks barely matter these days, but try telling a politician that.
Secure against good sense
JANE
CLIFTON
Budget bloopers:
Simon Bridges, left,
and Grant Robertson.A few Budget decisions
need to be kept underwraps, but in most
cases it’s a struggleto find big surprises
in the annual tome.