The Government was forced to issue a robust defence of its fast track legislation in the wake of jubilation among conservationists after an expert panel rejected Trans Tasman Resources’ application to mine the seabed off Taranaki for various minerals...Last the week, the US announced a stockpile of rare earth elements, and plans for a critical minerals trading bloc. New Zealand is set to be part of this, with fears already being raised over US companies getting involved in extraction, and the bulk of the profits being moved offshore...The latest Taxpayers Union Curia Poll shows the Centre-Right and Centre-Left blocs with pretty much equal support as the election looms. Labour is still the most popular party with 34.1% support, down slightly, while National is also down a fraction to trail on 31.3% - a wake up call for the Government...The experts were expecting unemployment to hold steady at 5.3% in the December quarter, but in a blow for the Government, the headline rate rose to 5.4%...And we're joined by Informetrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan to talk about how the economy will run as the coalition looks to be re-elected for another term.