The Mike Hosking Breakfast

This is the danger of the modern workforce. It’s the danger of a mood, it’s the danger of an age and it's the danger of letting feelings dictate fact and emotion override common sense.
MediaWorks have been investigating sexual misconduct at one of their radio stations. It was announced yesterday they have found none.
Cue the outrage. But what else were they expecting?
Scott Morrison must be feeling the same way. In his case, there was seemingly an illegal act involving Brittany Higgins. But what came out of that was a volcano of fury over other behaviours. Not behaviours of any illegality necessarily, but behaviour that some found beyond the pale, and as such the Prime Minister was somehow expected to sort it.
He's changing some rules. It probably won't work and when it doesn’t I'm not sure what his next trick is.
But in the MediaWorks scenario, for whatever reason nothing has been found. So those who were demanding answer - retribution, a hanging - get nothing. So they are furious.
And those who were put through a very public investigation, get nothing either.
That’s a lot of suspicion and finger-pointing for nothing.
Which leads you to ask the question - was an investigation ever really necessary? On what grounds was it launched, were they secure enough grounds to believe something would be found? Or was it a fishing expedition to adhere to the age, and the mood of the age.
Does it not leave questions around the quality of the investigation? Those who wanted scalps are asking what sort of investigation was it, and was it a white wash?
Not forgetting, of course, that the investigation was at the behest of a CEO who had arrived at the company five minutes before.
There is still an outside investigation going on, so more to come. And we have had at least one resignation and a person vanish from the billboards before it even started.
But what a dangerous time we live in, eh?
If everyone is to be treated fairly and the same, an investigation where suspicion runs rampant - only to come up with zero - is the worst possible outcome, surely. The outcome where everyone feels either cheated or done-over, or the participant in an exercise started for potentially the wrong reasons.
Who is the winner here - and exactly what got resolved?

KiwiSaver scheme managers have been told they must review their fees every year, and demonstrate they are providing savers with “value for money”.
The Financial Markets Authority (FMA), which regulates KiwiSaver schemes, says economies of scale have not typically been shared with savers by scheme managers through lower fees.
The FMA has released guidance for managers to annually review their fees and value for money, after which they must prove the review has happened.
It comes as research into the market shows benefits are not typically passed onto investors, there's no relationship between fees charged, and returns and managers weren't living up to their market index.
FMA director of investment management Paul Gregory joined Mike Hosking to share his thoughts on the issue.
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Scott Morrison has been accused of spreading the “political risk” after he announced that national cabinet would now be held twice a week to address problems plaguing the vaccine rollout.
The Prime Minister has returned national cabinet to “war footing” after experts no longer recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine be administered to Aussies aged under 50.
But Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles on Wednesday said the government had “botched” the immunisation program and needed to explain the plan to get more vaccines into the country.
“What he (Morrison) is doing here is trying to spread responsibility, spread political risk, point fingers in different directions, pretend it’s not all about him,” Mr Marles told ABC Breakfast.
“This is a moment where we actually need to see the Prime Minister stand up.
“I don’t think talking to state premiers is going to see us procure more of the vaccine.”
From Monday, national cabinet will meet twice a week for the foreseeable future until more Australians can be vaccinated “safely and more quickly”.
“There are serious challenges we need to overcome caused by patchy international vaccine supplies, changing medical advice and a global environment of need caused by millions of COVID-19 cases and deaths,” Mr Morrison said.
“There are issues we are trying to deal with as a federal government.
“But among the states and territories, they are also tackling their own unique issues and, working together, we are all going to be in a better position to find the best solutions.”
But Mr Marles said the government was complacent last year and didn’t spread its risk.
He said he would still get the AstraZeneca vaccine because he was aged over 50.
The federal government last week announced that it had doubled its supply of Pfizer vaccines to 40 million in the wake of the new advice about AstraZeneca.
But Australians will have to wait months for the vials, which are expected to arrive between October to December.
Novavax – which Australia also has a vaccine supply deal with – is undergoing clinical trials; however, its data is not expected until June.
“We’re going to have to have a different rollout later in the year when all those additional vaccines (arrive),” Mr Morrison told Triple M on Wednesday.
“Right now, we need to get our elderly vaccinated.
“If you are aged over 70 right now I would urge you to go and see your doctor.”
text by Jade Gailberger, NCA NewsWire

ACT wants the Prime Minister to "pull Stuart Nash into line" after he called MP Nicole McKee a "nutter" on Newstalk ZB this morning.
The former gun lobbyist has hit the headlines after she began knitting in Parliament yesterday afternoon.
National MP Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking he admires McKee, saying "I really like her, she's made some great contributions to the House already as a new MP."
However, Nash interrupted and made it clear he disagrees, saying "I think she's a  nutter."
When asked if he'd apologised, he doubled down - saying she's a nice person, but her views aren't.
"I know Nicole's views on a number of things, including guns, and I think her views are extremist. I wouldn't say their dangerous because no one takes any notice of them."
Nicole McKee. Photo / Supplied
In a statement to NZME, ACT deputy leader and health spokesperson Brooke van Velden, says it's not the standard the public expects of Cabinet Ministers.
She says politicians need to show leadership.
Van Velden thinks it provides an insight into Labour's approach to mental health - saying their campaigning on it has just been spin.
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There are hopes that the lure of big money will help solve a cold case, as it has done in Australia.
Two-year-old Amber-Lee Cruickshank vanished from a home near the southern reaches of Lake Wakatipu in 1992.
Police have put up a $100,000 reward for any information, about what may have happened to her.
Support After Murder spokesperson Peter Wolfe told Mike Hosking a million dollar reward has been instrumental in solving three Australian cold cases.
He says in one case money was able to bring forward an alleged murderer's ex-wife.
Wolfe says money can, and does work, to solve crimes.
"In Australia there are 24 cases with a million dollar reward on offer, and so far three have resulted in the arrest of a suspect."
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The flu could prove to be tricky this year.
Over 65s can get their vaccination from today but the rest of us will have to wait around another month more.
Associate Professor Lance Jennings from Otago University, Christchurch told Mike Hosking it's important we have the vaccine annually,  because we can't predict what flu virus will be around and how serious it's going to be.
Jennings says he isn't worried pharmaceutical companies are too busy making Covid-19 vaccinations.
"There may be delays in supply but the manufacturing capacity globally is out there."
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The union representing police officers thinks new counter-terrorism legislation is making moves in the right direction.
The Bill follows the Royal Commission into the Christchurch terror attack and will boost responses to terror in New Zealand.
Police Association president Chris Cahill told Mike Hosking it's good to see planning and preparing for a terror event, becoming an offence.
He says current legislation doesn't catch the lone-wolf.
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The U.S. on Tuesday recommended a “pause” in use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots, setting off a chain reaction worldwide and dealing a setback to the global vaccination campaign.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced that they were investigating unusual clots in six women between the ages of 18 and 48. One person died.
The acting FDA commissioner expected the pause to last only a matter of days. But the decision triggered swift action in Europe and elsewhere as the drugmaker and regulators moved to halt the use of the J&J vaccine, at least for now. Hundreds of thousands of doses were due to arrive in European countries, where vaccinations have been plagued by supply shortages, logistical problems and concerns over blood clots in a small number of people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet cleared for use in the U.S.
Any slowdown in the dissemination of the shots could have broad implications for the global vaccination effort. The J&J vaccine held immense promise because its single-dose regimen and relatively simple storage requirements would make it easier to use, especially in less affluent countries.
The clots, which happened 6 to 13 days after vaccination in veins that drain blood from the brain, occurred together with low platelets, the fragments in blood that normally form clots.
More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been given in the U.S., the vast majority with no or mild side effects.
Seth Shockley of Indianapolis received the J&J vaccine Sunday and was initially worried when he heard about the potential side effects Tuesday. His concerns faded when he learned there were only six confirmed cases of blood clots.
“I would much rather take the risk with the vaccine — a much smaller risk — than to risk it with COVID,” he said. Now he's more worried that the reports could result in more people refusing to get vaccinated.
The FDA said the cases under investigation appear similar to the clots that are possibly linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. European regulators have stressed that the AstraZeneca risk appears to be far lower than the possibility of developing clots from birth control pills, which typically cause clots in about 4 of every 10,000 women who use them for a year.
Federally run mass vaccination sites will pause the use of the J&J shot, and states and other providers are expected to follow. Authorities stressed they have found no sign of clot problems with the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. — from Moderna and Pfizer.
“I’d like to stress these events appear to be extremely rare. However COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority,” acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said at a news conference.
Speaking at the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top expert on infectious disease, said the pause would allow the FDA and the CDC to investigate the clotting cases and “to make physicians more aware of this.”
A CDC committee will meet Wednesday to discuss the cases, and the FDA has launched an investigation into the cause of the clots and low platelet counts.
FDA officials emphasized that Tuesday’s action was not a mandate. Doctors and patients could still use J&J’s vaccine if they decide its benefits outweigh its risks for individual cases, said Dr. Peter Marks.
The agencies recommend that people who were given the J&J vaccine should contact their doctor if they experience severe headache, abdominal or leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks.
J&J said in a statement that it was aware of the reports of blood clots, but that no link to its vaccine had been established. The company also said it would delay the rollout of its vaccine in Europe as a precaution.
U.S. health authorities cautioned doctors against using a typical clot...

There's always a time and a place, and yesterday, Nicole McKee pulled out her needles and yarn and began knitting in the House.
The new Act MP was quite within her rights, given a rule change in 2002 allows knitting in Parliament, just not in a ministers chair.
McKee told Mike Hosking she knows when it is and isn't appropriate to knit.
“When I’m preparing for speeches or listening to debates, I know it isn't the right time but yesterday, as MPs paid tribute to Prince Philip,  I thought it was.”
McKee says it's simply multi-tasking.
She says it was nice to be able to listen to beautifully crafted tributes to Prince Phillip,  and knit at the same time.
LISTEN ABOVE

So it's Monetary Policy day today.
Adrian Orr will roll out a few thoughts on the size of the mess we are in and whether his ink and printing machine are doing the job he thinks they should be. There is a level of commentary about the place, given his promise not to bump the cash rate beyond its 0.25 for a year has expired.
I think most agree the chances of him dropping it are slim to none, although last time he was still not ruling that out. While he might not rule it out, given the mess we are in - and make no mistake, it is a mess of real proportions - sadly too many have fallen for the Government line that things are better than we thought. Hence you see various bits and pieces about the place talking of an interest rate increase. How this can even be suggested, far less put down on paper with a name next to it, is beyond me.
The suggestion is often linked to housing, but Adrian's job is way more complex than that - especially now that the Finance Minister has lobbed a whole lot of directives at the Reserve Bank. Orr now has inflation, employment and housing to deal with, and he has those because the Government is bereft of sensible ideas to be found inside their ideological thought-space so have looked to shovel the problem the Reserve Bank's way.
The reason the cash rate won't rise is simple - we are in a recession. A double-dip recession. The second recession will not be officially confirmed until next month when the GDP figures for the first quarter of this year come out, but the last quarter of last year was -1% and the first quarter (with its lockdowns) won't be any better - a recession. What you want in a recession is spending. Investment and confidence, you partially get that with cheap money. We have cheap money and we are still in recession... so maybe you want cheaper money.
But what we also have - and this is why this is such a mess - is inflation. Costs are rising, but not because of growth. It's because of government policy - stuck ships a mess with containers - all of which lead to increases in prices.
Traditionally, when the bank sees inflation it raises interest rates. They can't do that this time.. this is called stagflation.  It's exactly the opposite of what you want to be happening to your economy. It's what happens when a Government who doesn’t know what it's doing gets let loose, and doesn’t adjust their settings to suit the conditions they can't control. Minimum wage, more public holidays, increases in welfare, leave entitlements... all stuff for the good days, not the days of recession - and certainly always paid for out of growth,  not debt.
So Adrian is between a rock and a hard place and this country is in real trouble. So interest rates going up? Don't make me laugh.