Chris Carter suspended over Labour leadership challenge

Chris Carter, the Labour MP who penned a letter calling for a challenge of Phil Goff's leadership of the party, has been suspended from Labour's caucus.

Carter has confirmed that he wrote the letter that tipped a challenge to Goff's leadership of the party - and delivered it to the Parliament Press Gallery. "I just want to see Phil Goff gone", he is reported to have said.

The move to suspend the MP, reports Fairfax Media, was the result of exhaustive discussions within the party that occurred this afternoon.

He was quick to deflect any negative criticism that he was letting his party down, or putting the party in jeopardy over its overall leadership and strategy.

"I'm 100 percent Labour and I want the Labour Party to win." He said Mr Goff was "a very nice guy but he's just not going to win". "I think actually it's very important to the future of our party." He noted later. 

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Goff confirms daughter's drug problem

Labour leader Phil Goff has confirmed that his daughter was caught with drugs in her bra, and appeared in Australian Court but escaped a criminal record.

According to the Sunday Star Times:

Sara Goff, 25, had her case called earlier this year at Downing Centre Local Court after being nabbed with four Ecstasy tablets outside a New Year celebration. She did not front in person but instead entered a written guilty plea.

The Sunday Star-Times can reveal Sara Goff, an Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry policy analyst, was stopped as she entered the main entrance of the Fuzzy Field Days Festival dance party in north Sydney's domain at 2.22pm on January 1 by Senior Constable Matthew Pople.

Read the full Star Times article.

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WATCH: Phil Goff thinks you're an idiot

Does Phil Goff think we're all idiots? Have a look at how slow he's speaking. It reminds me of kids at school who haven't reached the four minute minimum on their speech, so they simply speak slower.

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Budget will benefit the majority, says Bill English

The Government is attempting to sweep away claims that the 2010 Budget, to be released tomorrow, will mostly benefit the wealthy.

Finance minister, Bill English, is attempting to quell such fears, and claims that the wealthy will probably end up paying more tax than they did before. Primarily, the Budget is aimed at putting roadblocks in place that will prevent the rich from avoiding high taxes through legal loopholes.

Phil Goff, however, has not been so welcoming of such claims. "From the signals, this will be a budget for the most wealthy, not for middle or low income earners", Mr Goff said.

National also says that the Budget will be full of tax hikes for the rich, including a rise in GST, which has been expected for some time.

There have also been claims that the Budget will focus on cuts for Government spending, although there are no signs of this thus far.

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