Headline: Spy law stitch up just cosmetic
There is a deep irony that Peter Dunne wants to protect his emails from John Key’s gaze, but is enabling legislation that will permit the spy agencies to read the rest of our emails at will
The changes to the controversial spy laws negotiated by John Key and Peter Dunne are cosmetic and don’t address the fundamental flaws in the Bill says the Green Party.
“There is nothing in John Key and Peter Dunne’s deal that limits the ability of the state to intrude into the private lives of ordinary New Zealanders,” said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman.
“There is a deep irony that Peter Dunne wants to protect his emails from John Key’s gaze, but is enabling legislation that will permit the spy agencies to read the rest of our emails at will.
“The massive extension of spying this Bill enables is unchanged by the John Key/Peter Dunne deal. Their arrangement is simply cosmetic and aims to masks dangerous and deeply flawed legislation.
“Any improvements in spy oversight are welcomed and needed, but better oversight of an overly broad regime that enables mass surveillance is not enough.
“Regardless of improvement to oversight the Inspector General may have no choice but to give his or her sign-off to extreme incursions on human rights because the key parts of the legislation that deal with spying are unchanged.
“The Green Party believes that there needs to be a wide ranging independent inquiry into New Zealand’s intelligence services before this bill proceeds. The Human Rights Commission backs us on this point.
“The rational order of proceedings is to hold the inquiry before passing the legislation. Law changes should be the last step in the process following inquiry and analysis, not the first.”
—