Time slashed for public to have say on controversial Regulatory Standards Bill
The public will get just 30 hours to voice their views on the Regulatory Standards Bill, a fraction of the time given to other major legislations.
Mungo no understand.
The Right Wing are Free Speech Champions, why would they allow public submissions on law be slashed and not stand up for Citizens rights to have a say on law?
It’s almost as if the right wing free speech champions are political hypocrites who only stand for free speech when it benefits corporations, Israeli violence and bigotry.
What a shocking surprise!
The reason the Free Speech Party of ACT wants to strangle the Regulatory Standards Bill is because everyone hates the concept…
Official Documents Reveal Widespread Opposition To Seymour’s Regulatory Standards Bill – Greenpeace
Documents released to Greenpeace Aotearoa under the Official Information Act reveal that both the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Treasury have joined the growing list of bodies issuing strong warnings against the Regulatory Standards Bill.
In a scathing assessment dated 20 March, the Ministry for the Environment described the Bill as “deeply problematic” and warned that it “conflicts with the fundamental principles of the environmental management system” and “poses risks to the health, safety, economic, social, and environmental interests of current and future New Zealanders.”
Greenpeace is calling on the Prime Minister to withdraw his support for the Bill.
“This damning official advice confirms what Greenpeace have been warning all along: this Bill represents an unprecedented threat to our environment and to the Government’s ability to respond to the climate crisis,” said Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop.
The Treasury, in a separate briefing dated 28 March 2025, warned the Bill “could impose costs on agencies exceeding the potential economic and societal benefit” and “may also have a chilling effect on the development and retention of beneficial regulation.”
“What we’re seeing here is overwhelming opposition to the Bill from the very institutions tasked with upholding good lawmaking, public safety, and environmental stewardship. That’s because the real intent behind David Seymour’s Regulatory Standards bill is to tie the hands of future Governments and impose the ACT party’s far-right neoliberal principles on our democracy.”
“This is a dangerous, undemocratic piece of legislation being pushed through via a backroom coalition deal,” said Toop. “It’s time for the Prime Minister to show some leadership and scrap it.”
MfE and Treasury were both particularly critical of the Bill’s proposed expectation that the government compensate corporations for regulations that affect their property. MfE said it risks “reversing the ‘polluter pays’ principle”, and Treasury stated it “goes further than conventional policy in this area” warning it could lead to delays and increased costs on infrastructure projects.
“It’s a simple principle: polluters should pay – not be paid by the public,” said Toop. “But this Bill would flip that on its head, allowing corporations to expect taxpayer compensation for basic environmental and human health protections,” says Toop.
“It is the role of the Government to govern for the collective well-being of the people it serves, and that includes protecting the environment and the climate on which we all depend. This Bill upends that and tries to make our Government serve corporate interests instead.”
Treasury and MfE are the latest to join a growing list of governmental agencies issuing warnings over the bill. The Ministry of Justice has warned it’s not in line with the NZ Bill of Rights Act and “fails to recognise the constitutional significance of the Treaty of Waitangi.”
While Parliament’s legislative watchdog has cautioned that the Bill could lead to “significant unintended consequences,”Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People, has raised concerns that it may breach international obligations and exclude disabled people from decision-making, and the Waitangi Tribunal called for an immediate halt to the bill after its urgent inquiry.
…allowing Corporations to vet NZ Legislation so they can interpret a narrow Libertarian perspective that sees property rights over human rights is so inane you genuinely can’t comprehend how other New Zealanders are allowing this to happen!
How bitter at Jacinda and Covid must you be to give up your mana and sink to your knees for corporations?
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Martyn, the Bill is a dog. The Law Society (trying very hard to be constructive) says it has problems. ACT is driven by ideology as dangerous as Soviet communism and simply isn’t interested in free speech for undeserving poor people who earn less than $50,000 pa pay negligible tax (compared with what they take) and should have tried harder at school. Luxon is sorted even when he loses his current gig so he doesn’t care. Free speech is for those who can afford it.
One doesn’t have to look too deeply into any of the images to be thinking this week is less hopeful than last week…
I am surprised ACT have not stopped taking submissions altogether. They only support free-speech when it is in their interests otherwise clearly don’t care. ACT have never been about democracy rather something that looks at face value to be democratic until policies are passed to stop local input into policy to appease their corporate masters are forced through – at gunpoint if need be, because, after all, property rights usurp human rights – right!?. Anyone who supports this antidemocratic legislation should head to the US where Donnie and co are doing similar things to try and dupe the US voters – same thing happening here
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