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1 June 2013

Crony capitalism takes root in the Beehive

The National Government is undermining our democracy by giving special treatment to its special friends, the Green Party said today.

In his key-note AGM speech, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman took aim at the National Government’s crony capitalism and attacks on democracy.

“John Key’s National Government is arrogant and divisive, and only looking out for their mates,” said Dr Norman.

“If you want to be Prime Minister of this country you have got to work for everybody, not just for some.

“Under National, New Zealand is a country of crony capitalism where public money and benefits are showered on those who have the ear of the relevant minister.

“National abolished democracy in Canterbury to enable big dairy to increase pollution of rivers and aquifers. National rigged the tender process, handing SkyCity a sweet deal to build a national convention centre. National stopped protest at sea, after Shell Oil complained about protesters.

“Crony capitalism is not a smart way to run a Government or an economy. It sends the signal to businesses everywhere that the real money to be made in this economy is through lobbying Government for sweet deals, not by honest, hard work.

“This erosion of democracy and human rights matters. But it also matters because it is at the heart of every other economic, environmental and social debate we face as a nation.

“The Green Party believes that ordinary people should have a say in decision making in this country - ordinary people should have power.

“That’s why the Green Party will fight to restore our democracy.

“In Government, the Green Party will immediately restore democracy to Canterbury. We will close the door to lobbyists and special interests. We will keep politics honest by restoring public input to law making.

“National wants to take from us our collective belief that together we can create a better New Zealand, but we will not let them,” Dr Norman said.

ends

DrRusselNormalSpeechAGM2013.pdf

The National Government’s undemocratic record
Democracy is at the heart of every economic, environmental, and social debate we face as a nation. But the National Government is attacking that democracy.

We think it’s important to set out the full picture of the erosions made by this National Government.

Attacks on democracy:
• The Anadarko Amendment limits protest at sea at the behest of Shell Oil, breaching the rights of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and free association. The amendment introduced after the bill came back from select committee, did not have Bill of Rights advice, public submissions or select committee scrutiny.

• Peter Williams QC said this is “fascist legislation, this is shocking legislation, this is draconian legislation, and the people of New Zealand have got to be aware of it.”

• The carers’ bill allows some family carers to receive the minimum wage, but prevents carers from taking their cases to court.

• Constitutional law expert Professor Andrew Geddis said this was “…trampling all over a basic foundational principle of our constitutional order.”

• Canterbury lost its democracy in 2010, when Canterbury’s regional councillors were replaced with Government appointees and elections were suspended.

• Top New Zealand public law academic Philip Joseph said this breaches several principles of law, contains “elements of subterfuge” and is “constitutionally repugnant.”

• Proposed Resource Management Act changes will allow the overriding of community planning decisions and give the Government the power to override the RMA by regulation.

• The MMP review was ignored by the Government who are instead gerrymandering the system for their own interests.

• Local Government Act changes set a very low threshold for Ministerial interference and give the Minister wide scope to push central government priorities against the wishes of local communities.
Dodgy deals and crony capitalism:
• The SkyCity pokies-for-convention-centre-deal includes an unconstitutional block on future Governments’ ability to regulate gaming for the next 35 years.

• Warner Brothers convinced the Government to make changes to labour laws around collective bargaining and contractors to suit them, against Crown Law advice.

• Denniston Plateau will be irreversibly destroyed when an overseas mining company was handed the rights to dig up Denniston Plateau – land that should be protected forever.

• Public Private Partnerships for the Roads of National Significance and Charter Schools: Public money and benefits will go to those with the ear of the right minister.

Making the illegal legal:
• The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) possibly illegally spied on 88 New Zealanders. The National Government’s response was to introduce a bill that makes it legal for the GCSB to spy on New Zealanders and expands its ability to do so.

• Changes to legal aid funding were found in court to have been illegal. The National Government’s response was to appeal this, rather than right the wrong or comply with the law.
Ignoring the Bill of Rights:
• At present, under Section 7 of the Bill of Rights Act (BORA), the Attorney-General is required to advise Parliament if any provision in a bill is inconsistent with Act.
• Over 400 bills have been introduced since National became Government. Only 18 of these have had a BORA check - 11 Government bills and seven Members’ bills.
• Ten of those 11 Government bills have passed - seven have passed without the National Government fixing the problems raised in the BORA report. Two of these bills passed under urgency, with no select committee scrutiny.
• Only one Members’ bill has passed without the BORA issues being addressed, which was a National Party Members’ Bill that denies the right to vote to anyone serving a prison sentence.
Rushing bills through under urgency with no select committee process:

	No. of bills	Including…
49th Parliament under National	17*	The bill to introduce National Standards in schools The bills to repeal renewable preference and biofuel obligations
50th Parliament under National	7**	The bill to stop carers of disabled family members challenging government policy on payment or taking further legal action

*a small number of these bills did go to a select committee, but had a turn-around time of four working days or less
**one of the most recent bills rushed through under urgency was the carers’ bill. This became law just over 24 hours after it was first introduced, had a BORA report that was ignored, and the official advice from the Ministry of Health was heavily censored and is yet to be released.

Rushing bills through the select committee process:

	No. of bills	Including…
49th Parliament under National	60	Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill (2 days) Animal Welfare Amendment Bill.
50th Parliament under National	24	Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill Mixed Ownership Model Bill Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) Bill

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