Hon Judith Collins KC
Minister for the Public Service

Legislation to repeal the Plain Language Act, which is a waste of time and money, has passed its first reading in Parliament today, Public Service Minister Judith Collins says.

“The Act, implemented by the previous government, compelled public service agencies to appoint designated 'plain language officers' and implement specific activities,” Ms Collins says.

“Rather than fix a problem, it created a problem whereby plain language officers had to be appointed, the Public Service Commission had to produce guidance documents and then agencies had to report to someone on something no one was quite clear on.

“That takes time, and time is money. It’s this sort of wasteful spending on bureaucracy that the Government is calling time on.”

Repealing the Act means agencies will no longer be required to have a designated plain language officer.

“We need to trust the judgment and expertise of our public servants to communicate in language every taxpayer can grasp – without the need for designated officers or legal compulsion,” Ms Collins says.

“Repealing this Act cuts red tape and will allow the public service to get on with what really matters, which is delivering services for New Zealanders.”

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