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While the week in politics began with another chapter in the ongoing tensions within Te Pāti Māori, the House started the parliamentary week by resuming the consideration of the closely followed Regulatory Standards Bill.
Political dramas tend to hog the headlines and capture much of the public's attention, yet Parliamentary business steadily continues in the background. The Regulatory Standards Bill was the first piece of legislation up for debate (after Question Time) this week. It arrived back in the House for its second reading on Tuesday, following around six months of consideration by the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.
The Bill is the brainchild of ACT Party leader and Minister for Regulation David Seymour, who says it will "help New Zealand get its mojo back".
It seeks to limit future lawmakers from introducing what Seymour considers unnecessary red tape into legislation, prioritising private property rights. As part of this, it proposes establishing a Regulatory Standards Board, which would assess whether proposed laws align with several principles outlined in the Bill.
During a bill's second reading, it's expected that the minister in charge will outline the select committee's recommended changes and indicate which ones the government has chosen to adopt, if any.
"I would like to also acknowledge the changes that they have made to the Regulatory Standards Board," Seymour told the House on Tuesday.
"In my view, (the changes are) strengthening the Bill by enhancing its independence and by saying that it will be reinforced by the Governor-General rather than the Minister for Regulation. I believe that that is going to make the Regulatory Standards Board a much more august body with more authority, and it will allow that board to further raise the quality of the consistency accountability statements."
The government has also adopted a number of relatively minor changes around the wording of the principles of responsible regulation.
While being considered by the Finance and Expenditure Committee, the Bill attracted 159,000 submissions, the vast majority of which opposed it as a whole, however the sheer number of submissions for or against a bill doesn't directly affect its progress, if anything, it can be taken as a reflection of the zeitgeist of those who've engaged with the legislative process.
Ultimately though, the government holds a majority both in the House and on most select committees, giving it the mandate to advance legislation whether public submissions are overwhelmingly negative or positive.
Even so, opposition MPs are often quick to highlight instances when the disparity between perceived public opinion and government action is a sizeable one. Tuesday's debate saw Labour's justice spokesperson Duncan Webb do this right off the bat.
"Well, here we have it: a bill that 0.7 percent of submitters supported. Here, it is hard to find a bill which fewer people are in favour of," Webb said.
Webb went on to cite a number of submitters who had concerns or were opposed to the Bill including the The Legislation Design and Advisory Committee, the New Zealand Law Society, and the Human Rights Commission.
Submitters' reasons for supporting or opposing a bill are usually canvassed in the select committee's report and can be useful for identifying key themes on each side of the debate. In the case of the Regulatory Standards Bill, supporters emphasised greater transparency and accountability for lawmakers, improved regulation, and reduced bureaucratic burden. Opponents, meanwhile, expressed concern about the omission of the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ideology-driven lawmaking, the prioritisation of private interests over the national good, and weakened environmental protections, among other issues.
A version of the Regulatory Standards Bill has long been a core item on ACT's policy agenda, with Seymour able to advance it as part of his party's coalition agreement with National.
National and New Zealand First, both supporting the Bill, kept their contributions brief during Tuesday's debate. This prompted the Greens' Francisco Hernandez to suggest their support was reluctant.
"We've had a one-minute speech from Mr Brewer over there, and we've had a one-minute speech from Ms Costello over here, because, fundamentally, they know that this bill is actually indefensible. They know that this bill can't be defended, because it's got no real substance to it," Hernandez said.
Whether Hernandez's speculation holds any truth, or whether government MPs were simply trying to move things along, will likely remain as speculation. In any case, the Regulatory Standards Bill now moves to the Committee of the Whole House stage, where the finer details of the Bill will be worked through. The opposition is expected to slow proceedings, extending debate as long as possible and perhaps seeking to expose any of those speculated cracks within the Coalition's ranks.
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