Back Benches 12 March 2012

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

COME ON IN…IF YOU’RE RICH: Are we only interested in wealthy immigrants? A leaked Cabinet paper shows new immigration laws could make it harder for poor, non-english speakers to move to NZ. Do we need a larger population? Do we have too many unskilled workers in the country? Is a two-tier process fair or discriminatory? Should parents with dependent children be left out? And should you have to pre-pay for language lessons? Does this mean we only want the rich & famous? Can we afford for immigrants to come into NZ on the benefit?

A NIGHT AT THE POKIES: Do we have a gambling problem? SkyCity is planning a new $350m convention centre but in turn wants a revamp of our gambling laws. SkyCity wants a higher cap on gaming tables and machines and a licence extension. Key says policy is not for sale and says the number of Pokie machines are in decline. Do bars need pokie machines? Should gambling be restricted to casinos? Should we be asking casinos to help stop problem gamblers?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 7th of March. Our Panel: Green Party MP Denise Roche, Labour MP Rino Tirikatene, and National MP Dr. Cam Calder.

Wednesday at 9.05pm and Saturday at 10.05pm on TVNZ 7