Misusing urgency to ram through controversial legislation is an abuse of power
Too many laws passing without ‘proper scrutiny’, Geoffrey Palmer says
A former Labour Prime Minister says Parliament is passing too many laws without proper scrutiny.
Sir Geoffrey Palmer told Nine to Noon the government was increasingly pushing through legislation under urgency, which allowed it to skip stages such as public consultation and select committees.
Palmer said the normal checks and balances were stripped out when laws were made at pace.
“Urgency has become the default mechanism for dealing with Parliamentary legislation and the standing orders are not followed and you also have extended sittings – and both of those mean the Government’s agenda is completely at the will of the Government,” he said.
Palmer said the Fast-Track Approvals Act 2024 – and its amendment – was a classic example of a trend that “ministers know best” and was “ministerial dictatorship”.
“It was criticised by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment then, Simon Upton, the amendment bill puts the process that was enacted in 2024 on steroids.
“It gets faster and faster. It will be a fast-track to environmental degradation, [more] than it already is.”
If the Left had ever attempted abusing due process by misusing Urgency like this to ram through controversial legislation, the ZB Trolls and Redneck Crackers would be screaming, but because it’s their side doing it. they say nothing.
That is why they are such hypocritical pricks.
Look at the blitzkrieg of hard right policy being rammed through without proper oversight and scrutiny…
Resource Management (Duration of Consents) Amendment Bill
This is part of the new RMA changes which are being sold as helping little Kiwi battlers build their decks but the reality is that it’s a front to allow mining, dairy and polluters get away with environmental vandalism.
Will allow vigilante ZB Dads to conduct citizens arrests which will spark enormous violence on the streets as Culture War Boomers flex their muscles for the chance to bash Māori youth.
Climate Change Response (2050 Target and Other Matters) Amendment Bill
Locks in Government’s climate denial and lets their Dairy farmer mates off the hook for their emissions.
Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill
Allows for National’s big donor mates in Mining, Dairy and Big Polluters to bypass community concerns.
Animal Welfare (Regulations for Management of Pigs) Amendment Bill
Big Boss Hog Andrew Hoggard is letting his mates in the swine industry off the hook for 10 years to do something about Sow crates.
National’s gerrymandering of the election period to stop hundreds of thousands of Special votes so they can steal the election.
Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill
Allows rich prick foreign millionaires to buy mansions worth $5million.
…these are all deeply controversial laws that this hard right Government are ramming through so you the voter don’t notice.
This spiteful malicious Government is ruling for their donors while strangling the common good.
In an All-Tribe-No-Village political landscape, abuse of power like this is the new norm.
When you bring this up with ZB Trolls, Redneck Crackers and culture War Boomers, they scream back, ‘But Jacinda, but da vaccines, but da Trans, but da Māoris”.
We should all be collectively be sickened by this.
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This totally corrupt CoC is never going to be transparent let alone honest. They are completely and utterly corrupt and if they truly think we don’t notice then they are STUPID as well. Much of their fast-track bills will fall over through lack of fair and correct input, and they will be left with egg all over their faces, not that it would resonate with them in the slightest. They are a complete rule unto themselves. Again thanks NZ Media for supporting this evil corruption!
I guess the CoC figure that the majority people who can be bothered voting will vote to support their own personal short-term interests, rather than the long-term best interest of the entire country or planet.
They are probably correct.
We are probably fucked.
In 1986 I was a student at ATI(as it was called back then).
One of the Papers I was doing was on the Legal System. One sentence that caught my eye was the comment that the NZ Parliament is considered the ‘Fastest Law Maker in the West’. That was because Laws were rushed through into legislation so quickly that like now no-one noticed the rapid Law changes.
I am sure especially with the Diabolical and Corrupt as Hell politicians in this “coalition government” that sweeping/sudden law changes are made at this time of the year because no-one will be taking any notice as we are only 13 days away from Christmas and everyone is thinking about what to buy if they can afford presents.
We may as well call this ‘Urgency” as being On The Sly.
NZ pretends that it is a Democracy and the politicians give the illusion we are a democracy but at the rate of Rapid Law Changes it is starting to look like NZ is quickly descending into being a country currently ruled by Three Despots and their parties.
100%, Justme. You nailed it.
This article raises some very relevant issues that need to be exposed by the likes of Martyn Bradbury. I do, however, take some exception to “Culture War Boomers flex their muscles for the chance to bash Māori youth”. I am a boomer myself, and starting from the age of the youngest boomers (about 60 in 2025), I was very aware of the limitations of my aging body and would be the last person to tackle a younger, presumably stronger, stranger. My bodily safety would be a priority. As for rangatahi Maori, the many I have casually encountered in my many years have been more pleasant, friendly and respectful than Pakeha youth on the whole. And as for assuming that offenders, presumably shoplifters, would automatically be Maori… well… No, simply No.
We need to all pull together in these trying times, and dividing society by generation and ethnicity works against this.
as a boomer I have to agree with you I have never had the desire to bash any Maori just because they are Maori .The young Maori I come across at my grand kids schools and sports teams are always polite and treat us older people very well .
When Sir Geoffrey speaks on this, we ought to listen.
I see from the comments that I am not the only one who has heard the “fastest law maker in the west” reference. It is why we need an upper house in Parliament.
I would like to see urgency restricted to genuine emergencies and require a review clause to be inserted for any legislation that uses it.
I used to take a lot of pride in how highly we rated prior to this Government for political transparency. Transparency International viewed us as one of the most transparent in the world, with usually only Denmark ahead of us. I fairly sure now, that we are somewhere further down the pecking order because of the abject contempt shown by this Government.
When Shane Jones became a Minister in 2023, he said something about unless there is something in the Cabinet Manual stopping a particular activity, he and his colleagues were going to do what they wanted.
That should have been a warning to everyone.
I see CROOKE FROM ACT is going to ram through a law to over ride the Court UBER DRIVERS decision .So now the COCS is going to bring in a new law everytime the big corporates loose a court decision .
Lose not loose gw.