Kids and consultants - Media run the rule over opposition policy

The National Party unveiled two dove-tailed policies last weekend - pumping up childcare subsidies while cutting down on consultants to cover the cost. Mediawatch looks at how the media ran the rule over these - and talks to the author of a timely investigation into the lucrative childcare industry.The National Party leader unveiled two dove-tailed policies in last weekend's State of the Nation speech - pumping up childcare subsidies while cutting down on consultants to cover the cost. Mediawatch looks at how the media ran the rule over these - and talks to the author of a timely investigation into the lucrative childcare industry.Luxon set to take aim at Hipkins' govt consultant 'gravy train' said a Sunday Star Times headline last weekend. "Christopher Luxon will use his State of the Nation speech today to announce he will hit the brakes on government consultants and the contractor "gravy train" if elected in October, Stuff understands," the story said.They understood right. "Labour has created a gravy train for consultants through its obsession with working groups, ideological pet projects and expensive public sector restructures that are a boon for partners at the big consultancy firms, but are not delivering better results for Kiwis, Luxon is expected to say," the paper reported.And that's what the National Party leader said - almost word-for-word - at the end of his address last weekend. "The size of the public sector and what it achieves could well play as some of the mood music for this election year," wrote Stuff's political editor Luke Malpass. That seems certain, with political parties supplying the tunes for the political journalists' playlists, as National did last weekend. After the speech, plenty of other outlets seized on Luxon's claims of a runaway gravy train. "Do you believe the public service is a gravy train?" PM Chris Hipkins was asked on Stuff's new daily podcast Newsable the next day. But Christopher Luxon had targeted consultants in his speech - and "big-time, big partners at consulting firms" in later remarks to reporters - rather than public service staffing and efficiency. Is consulting all gravy? National's estimate that $1.7bn of public money was paid to consultants last year was widely reported by media too. The government has been accused of failing to consult on things like transport policy and Three Waters before setting policy - so what is the gratuitous 'gravy' and what is sensible spending? In the New Zealand Herald, political reporter Thomas Coughlan pointed out there were two parts to it…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details