When we can’t gamble on greyhounds, maybe the TAB will take bets on how quickly new laws can be raced through the legislative hoops
A Newsroom report about a drafting error in the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill has drawn attention to the Luxon Government’s discreditable urge to legislate in unseemly haste.
The bill – intended to repeal the 2018 ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration and remove some liability from fossil fuel developers for decommissioning their drilling wells – won’t be passed before the end of the year as promised.
The reason: someone discovered an amendment introduced late in the piece would actually increase developers’ decommissioning liability.
According to Newsroom:
… the drafting error followed an accelerated process for the legislation, which was introduced and sent to select committee under urgency. The public was given only five days to submit on the legislation (compared with the usual six weeks) and the committee then heard submissions and considered the bill for barely a month (compared with the usual six months).
The Newsroom report notes:
But the mistake comes after legal experts, officials and even a Cabinet minister have warned against over-use of urgency, because it could lead to exactly this sort of situation. The risk with skipping proper checks and balances is that a “measure twice, cut once” approach ends up being a “measure once, cut twice” – or more.
When the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill went through under urgency, Victoria University of Wellington law professor Dean Knight told Newsroom it was “bad lawmaking and they know it”.
“It has got to stop. Our laws and democracy suffer when the Parliamentary process is rushed,” he said.
A Newsroom analysis of 84 regulatory impact statements published on Government policies and laws since the start of the coalition showed officials complained about having too little time to do the job properly three quarters of the time.
In its first 100 days alone, the Government set a dubious record of passing more laws under urgency than any other government in a comparable timeframe.
That followed Attorney-General Judith Collins’ comments about rushed lawmaking to all ministers in a letter earlier this year, obtained by Newsroom under the Official Information Act.
But Chris Bishop, Leader of the House, banged out a statement today to paint things in a laudatory light. It was headed …
According to Newsroom:
… the drafting error followed an accelerated process for the legislation, which was introduced and sent to select committee under urgency. The public was given only five days to submit on the legislation (compared with the usual six weeks) and the committee then heard submissions and considered the bill for barely a month (compared with the usual six months).
The Newsroom report notes:
But the mistake comes after legal experts, officials and even a Cabinet minister have warned against over-use of urgency, because it could lead to exactly this sort of situation. The risk with skipping proper checks and balances is that a “measure twice, cut once” approach ends up being a “measure once, cut twice” – or more.
When the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill went through under urgency, Victoria University of Wellington law professor Dean Knight told Newsroom it was “bad lawmaking and they know it”.
“It has got to stop. Our laws and democracy suffer when the Parliamentary process is rushed,” he said.
A Newsroom analysis of 84 regulatory impact statements published on Government policies and laws since the start of the coalition showed officials complained about having too little time to do the job properly three quarters of the time.
In its first 100 days alone, the Government set a dubious record of passing more laws under urgency than any other government in a comparable timeframe.
That followed Attorney-General Judith Collins’ comments about rushed lawmaking to all ministers in a letter earlier this year, obtained by Newsroom under the Official Information Act.
But Chris Bishop, Leader of the House, banged out a statement today to paint things in a laudatory light. It was headed …
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says.
Yeah, right.
He went on to bray:
“This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this year in the House has shown we’re doing exactly that.
“The first full year of the coalition Government has seen 52 Government Bills pass their third readings to become law. A further 83 Government Bills passed their first reading, and 47 Government Bills were reported back from select committee.”
Bishop highlighted:
- The Fast-track Approvals Bill which speeds up the consenting process for major projects with significant regional or national benefits;
- Budget 2024 legislation which included tax relief for workers and the introduction of the FamilyBoost childcare tax credit;
- The Gangs Bill which bans gang patches in public places; and
- The Education and Training Amendment Bill which brings back charter schools, with several planning to open for term 1 2025.
“I am particularly proud that the Bill to protect greyhounds as the greyhound racing industry is phased out was passed through all stages under urgency with the unanimous support of the Parliament. It was an example of Parliament at its best and I thank all parties for working together to pass this swiftly.”
2024 by the numbers:
- 93 First Readings (83 Government, 1 Local, and 9 Members’ Bills)
- 60 Bills reported back from Select Committee (47 Government, 1 Private, and 12 Members’ Bills)
- 60 Third Readings (52 Government, 1 Private, and 7 Members’ Bills)
- 1,795 papers have been presented to the House by Ministers
- 77 Question Times during which Ministers have answered 933 Oral Questions and thousands more supplementary questions
- And as of this morning, Ministers have been asked 87,147 written parliamentary questions.
But Bishop should not be surprised if the Parliamentary Press Gallery ignores his statement. His ministerial colleagues have been busy bragging about this and that, too.
Their eagerness to grab some of the headlines has resulted in a tsunami of announcements in the past 24 hours, several of them showing the government is adding or intends adding even more laws to the statute books.
The Fast-track Approvals Bill – all about getting things done without pesky procedural impediments – passed its third reading in Parliament.
Three bills have passed their first readings:
- The Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation
- The Local Government (Water Services) Bill, designed to enable new water service delivery models in the name of Local Water Done Well,
- The Gene Technology Bill which will end New Zealand’s near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab.
- The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill was introduced today. Containing 26 amendments, it is the second Bill – the other is the Statutes Amendment Bill – that makes amendments to improve the AML/CFT Ac.
- The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each is intended to improve a different part of the Justice system: the courts, occupational regulation, and tribunals, making amendments across 24 different Acts.
Any more bills before we wrap up this check of who has posted what on the government’s official website?
Readers are urged to do their checking, too, to find which of this gush of announcements might affect them, and to what effect …
Latest from the Beehive
18 December 2024
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026.
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed desi
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) F
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee.
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says.
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit).
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says.
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops.
Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says.
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says.
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support.
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday’s devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation.
17 December 2024
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament.
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well.
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says.
New Zealand has ratified the Upgrade to the Agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), Minister for Trade Todd McClay announced today.
The inaugural winners of the Prime Minister’s Space Prizes showcase the depth and breadth of talent in New Zealand’s dynamic space and advanced aviation sectors, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Space Minist
The coalition Government’s new one-stop shop fast-track consenting regime for regionally and nationally significant projects will help rebuild the New Zealand economy.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has appointed Craig Ellison to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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