are looking for some specificity around the gazette notice and
the Supplementary Order Paper. So if
I could ask for
members' indulgence. I call Simeon Brown. Thank you very
much nor the opportunity to speak
in favour of my Supplementary Order
Paper number 72 on the
favour of my Supplementary Order (Integrity) Amendment Bill,
which seeks to add a new clause 7, which
will require if a vacancy
has arisen under the provisions of this
proposed legislation, that there
be a notice in the gazette
issued under subsection 1
subsection 1 which must include the name of the party leader who issued
the notice to the Speaker, and
B, the details for the reason for
the vacancy as provided in
section 55D. Now there are a number
of reasons why this provision should be
in place. But let me just start by
saying that we on this side of the
House have been seeking for hours
and hours to try to persuade
the Government to make some small
changes to this piece of
legislation, to improve it in small
but significant and important
ways and that is what our Supplementary
and that is what our Supplementary
Order Papers seek to
do and that is what my Supplementary Order Paper
seeks to do right here. Because
what we have is a Government which
has come to power and said they will be
the most open and
transparent and yet they
yet they vote against Supplementary Order Papers
Order Papers which seek to bring some openness and
transparency to this legislation. So let me
talk about what this proposed
new clause will do. This will require
if a vacancy has arisen for
electorates to know who the party leader was, the name of the party
leader was, who issued the notice to
the Speaker, which is required
under the provisions of
this legislation, and the details for the reason
for the vacancy. Now if members
were to look at clause 5, under
the new proposed section 55D, it says here
that a statement must be
in writing and signed by the
parliamentary leader concerned and state
that the parliamentary leader reasonably
leader concerned and state that the believes a Member of Parliament
believes
believes a Member of Parliament concerned has acted in a way
that has distorted
has distorted and the likely to continue to distort the
continue to distort the
proportionality of political party representation as determined at the
last general election. Now
what this section does not do is it does not
actually require the leader or
section does not do is it does not
leader of that party to describe how or what action that Member of
Parliament has done to distort
the way
Parliament has done to distort the
parliament. How that Member of Parliament is likely to continue to
Parliament is likely to continue to
distort the proportionality of the
political party representation in
parliament. So we are left,
particularly for
parliament. So we are left,
this country as a possibility under this legislation, and the
minister might say, well, the
likelihood, there may be one or
maybe two every term, he is not sure,
that is probably the answer he will give.
Regardless of the number
of
upon New Zealanders under the provisions of this legislation, I
believe that the constituents and
the voters in those areas, in
those electorates, have a right to know
what the reasons were. I would
put it to you that in some instances
it would be quite clear publicly, based
on statements that that
member may have made, or actions in terms of
crossing the floor, as to why
the party leader might, under the
provisions of this legislation,
decide to take action and
use the provisions of this
decide to take action and use the
of the Electoral Integrity Bill, but not in all instances. In
some instances it may not be clear.
It may not be clear why a party leader
is pursuing that course of action.
We understand that different
pears have different caucus structures and
different
different rules and different leadership styles. If you
look leadership styles. If you look
across the other side of
the House there are a coalition with three
different parties and three very
different leadership styles. We
have the Labour Party we has
quite a clear and we understand how
they work. You have the Green
Party that has a
work. You have the Green Party that
leader is the one who's putting it forward actually
forward actually matters. The name of the party leader
matters because it could be Marama Davidson or
it could be the other
guy, Shaw, James Shaw. It could be either
one. You are never quite sure which of
the two. I have some more points I
would like to add to this as well so I
will be seeking another call. Then
you have the New Zealand First
party which from all appearances seems to
have one very clear
leader and 8 people who sort of follow on. I
will be
be seeking another call...
I call Simeon Brown. The other point
leadership styles it is important the see who the party
leader is but when you look underneath
that you realise that sometimes the way
these parties actually manage
themselves will be quite different. So
sometimes what happens behind closed
doors might be the reasons why an MP
is forced out rather than what
happens clearly in the face of the
public, whether in the media
or in the house here by a Member
of Parliament exercising
Parliament exercising the ability to cross the floor and vote with
the other side. So it is important
for the electorate in question to
understand the reason for
the understand the reason for the
vacancy which has been forced upon
that electorate. I guess the next
point that I think is also
very important, and it is
because electorates, when they have
a
are not dealing with the cost of the
specifically with the gazette notice. Whenever
happens in New Zealand the voters happens in New Zealand the
voters want to know why they are
going to the polls.
The
The cost is in their minds. They are forced to go to the polls and
they want to know why T first question
voters will ask
want to know why T first question
Michael Wood across the other side of the House. He
came into parliament
Phil Gough, the previous member, was elected as the new Mayor
of Auckland. Michael Wood was
then elected as the new Member of
people of that electorate understood very clearly the reasons why a
vacancy was created and then had
the opportunity to vote for a new
Member of Parliament. But in some instances
we don't understand and in other
instances, under the provisions of
this legislation, it opens up for
the possibility for the
parliamentary leader to write to the
Speaker and state why he believes or
she believes,
she believes, that the proportionality of Parliament has
been distorted and is likely
to continue to be distorted and
then that information is
not published. That information is not provided
to the public, who it will
then affect because there
because there will then be a
that party leader in conjunction with
their caucus. So the voters in that electorate
their caucus. So the voters in that
in electorates up and down the country
in electorates up and down the
upon them. This government should be standing on the side of openness and
transparency by which they have
made numerous claims they
will be the most open and transparent
and give voters the opportunity to know what
those reasons were and the name
of the party leader who issued the
notice to the Speaker. A set
is the way in which
notice to the Speaker. A set is the
it can be done, the official publishment of the notification of
be officially put down as to what the particular reasons were for all
New Zealanders and in gazette is
the
it can be done, the official publishment of the notification of
be officially put down as to what the particular
the particular reasons were for all New Zealanders and in particular the
people who will have to
go to the polls to vote will know exactly what
those reasons are. So my
question is to the Minister and the Chair, is to
provisions of this legislation, as it currently stands, will
voters in electorates who are forced to go
to
is, other than that apparently the party leader has come to the view
that the proportionality will
be
test and that is something which can be hidden behind words and saying,
scrutiny, with no public explanation as to what the reasons are for why
he is deciding to use the
provisions of this legislation. How are
the public going to know
why they are having an election, going
to the polls, why are they going to have to
face
polls, why are they going to have to
leader decided a member of parent has, in their view,
distorted the proportionality of Parliament or is
the public are able to make a political judgement on
the decision of that parliamentary leader as
to what their view is and whether
that has been done justifiably and
the party leader can
responsibility.
I call the Hon Andrew Little. Madam Chair, I want to response
to the points made in relation
to the proposed changes. They can be dealt
with swiftly because there's
not much in the two SOPs. The SOP
requires, is calling for,
the Speaker's Gazette Notice to include
the name of the leader of the party
of the member who lost
their seat, the seat is now vacant, comes from,
and the reason for the vacancy.