Poorly considered legislation-again

The NZ Herald has an article on the fact that there are probably only 37 sitting days before likely dissolution for the election and some 70 bills, including major legislation, such as the Emissions Trading Bill which is still in select committee to progress onto the statute book.

Some will not make it. Others such as the Emissions Trading Bill will be the focus of Government attempts to ram through legislation to enable them to wave their ‘green credentials’ at the electorate.

This tactic is just not acceptable. This legislation is critical to our economy and must be properly considered.

Stuff has an item concerning Lockwood Smith’s substantive concerns about the flawed nature of the Select Committee process as regards the Emissions Trading Bill.

He said:-

Senior National MP Lockwood Smith said the finance select committee’s consideration of the climate change bill should be slowed down to allow proper examination of the bill.

“This select committee process is one of the worst I have seen,” Dr Smith said.

“I have argued that we should be extending the hearings and submissions period for what is probably the most important legislation, economically and socially, for the last 20 years.”

The bill sets up a scheme intended to reduce polluting emissions by penalising polluters and rewarding those who reduce emissions or plant trees.

The bill lays out a 20-year plan touching every part of New Zealand life in an attempt to tackle global warming.

Adam considers that we are seeing a re-run of the process adopted by the Government in ramming through the Electoral Finance Act. The ETB is being continually modified, the government is riding roughshod over submitters and others in an attempt to get a bill, any bill into law. See this item from Stuff.

This needs to be stopped.

In fact, Parliament needs to review the processes adopted for legislation. we have far too many of these ill thought out, poorly considered bills making it onto the statute books.

When they are as major as the ETB, the Public Health Bill and the budget this is wrong, very wrong. It is wrong in principle all the time, but even more so here.

Yet again, the Clark administration is demonstrating arrogance and an intolerance for the rights of people to be adequately heard on legislation.

This is another example of the Clark/Cullen manipulation of our polity to enable them to ‘win the contest for power’.

Tags: Anti democratic, Flawed legislation, Ill Considered Legislation, Labour arrogance, Legislative Process, Lockwood Smith, Politics, Select Committees