News Briefs

Deputy Prime Minister to Forum Trade Ministers Meeting
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs & Immigration, the Hon. Tom Masters, will depart for Vava’u, Tonga, on the weekend where he will represent Government at this year’s Forum Trade Ministers Meeting (FTMM).
Usually held annually, the objective of the FTMM is to provide an opportunity for the region’s Trade Ministers to discuss a wide range of trade-related issues. At their two-day meeting to be held 18-19 May, Ministers will discuss developments in the on-going PACER Plus trade negotiations between Australia, New Zealand and the Forum island Countries (FICs) as well as examine ways to increase exports and investment through the region’s network of Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Commissions, including enhancing national trade capacities in the FICs.
The Ministers will also be briefed on the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser (OCTA) for FICs and will consider options for the future conduct of PACER Plus negotiations.
“Government is committed to doing whatever possible to strengthening the capacity of the private sector to engage in international trade and Government agencies to facilitate their efforts. At the meeting we will be looking closely at how the Cook Islands can benefit from regional initiatives in that regard”, the DPM said
Accompanying the DPM will be Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Jim Gosselin, and Director of the International Affairs Division of Foreign Affairs, Tepaeru Herrmann.

Challenge to balance budget
At a media briefing in the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday, Minister of Finance Mark Brown was asked if there were difficulties in balancing the upcoming budget. Brown said balancing the 2011/2012 budget is a challenge and ministries are now preparing their budget reports and will be meeting with the Minister and the Budget committee to go through and work on each ministry’s priorities. Once a number of things are ironed out the committee will compile a report in which will go to Cabinet for consideration before being tabled in Parliament in July this year. The Times understands from several different sources that at a meeting of HOMs on Tuesday, they were told there was a $1.7 million deficit to plug and that Ministries will need to make further savings. The question is where will these come from, personnel, operations or capital expenditure? There may be some spending or projects which could be deferred until later.

Private sector views to be sought
The Select Committee considering the proposed Employment Relations Bill will be meeting with those within the private sector to discuss their concerns in relation to a proposed increase in minimum wage and maternity leave payouts. The Prime Minister says seeking the input from the private sector is necessary seeming this is made up of our Cook Island people. The Minister Mark Brown says there is some issues surrounding maternity leave payouts for those in the private sector and that some formula could be designed, he is referring to employers maybe paying identical to a minimum weekly or fortnightly wage, with possibly the government topping that to equal the individual’s normal weekly or fortnightly pay since government uses taxpayers funds to pay for public servants.

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