HERALD WEEKLY ISSUE 583: 28 September 2011

Public input into Budget breaks new ground
In October, the public will get a chance to comment on the draft Budget for 2012-2013.
Last Friday, Financial Secretary Richard Neves in response to a query from the Herald advised,
” ..the new budget process, a feature of which will be a document going out to the public on or about 11 October inviting submissions. These can be from anyone who has ideas on the budget, they could range from someone writing a handwritten note pointing out a road which hasn’t been fixed to a quite technical submission provided by an NGO, Church group, media group, chamber of commerce. These would be publically available on our website, I think we are earmarking about 3 weeks or so for that process.”
This will mark something of a groundbreaking first for the government. Government is to be commended for this initiative.
Last Friday Neves advised the Herald of the proposed timelines for the Budget as follows:

-Charles Pitt

Herald Issue 554 09 March
- Norm exposes Trio of Doom
- Briefs from PM’s media conference Tuesday
- Tourism Industry ponders $5 million draft strategy
- Norman George resigns from Cook Islands Party
- Letter of Resignation from CIP
- Norman selfish says Prime Minister

Copyright 2006 Cook Islands Herald online . All rights reserved.