Parliament inquiry must re-open to consider leaked Pike footage – Clare Curran
Labour has today called for a parliamentary committee to urgently examine new information following the recent release of footage shot inside the drift of the Pike River Mine, says Dunedin South Labour MP Clare Curran.
“The Labour Party will ask the Commerce Select Committee to re-open its investigation of a petition calling for Solid Energy not to seal the Pike River Mine. The petition has not yet been reported back to Parliament and can be re-opened as an inquiry following this important new development.
“Author Dame Fiona Kidman, who joined the families’ protest on the West Coast, backed an online petition requesting that Solid Energy be stopped from sealing the Pike River Mine, and that the remains of the 29 men be brought home if humanly possible.
“The petition, signed by 511 people, was presented to Parliament by Labour’s West Coast MP Damian O’Connor on December 13. It was heard by the Commerce Committee on February 16, with submissions from Dame Kidman and others and from Solid Energy.
“In the last few days, leaked footage held by Police has been revealed showing that people can enter the mine drift safely.
“The Labour Party believes that this could fundamentally change the case for human re-entry of the mine drift.
“At the very least the Commerce Committee should re-open its investigation and call for submissions from NZ Police, Solid Energy, MBIE and the families of those who died.
“There are urgent questions that need to be asked about the effect this new information has on the expert opinions being relied on by Solid Energy and the families as to the safe re-entry of the Pike River Mine drift.
“Reporting back to the house on the petition will be a farcical exercise unless those questions can be asked
“Submitters should be allowed the opportunity to provide further submissions and the Committee given time to consider additional evidence,” says Clare Curran.
I agree 100% with Claire,
It seems that National Party enjoy denying NZ citizens their democratic right to provide submission’s verbally before a select committee and our Gisborne community in November 2012 provided the Transport Select Committee over 10,000 petitioners signatures with a written request to be given a right to present our case before that committee.
We carefully requested multiple speaking rights to present other detailed evidence on why the Gisborne Rail must be restored after a weather bomb damaged one km of the rail.
But even then David Carter the Chair refused our rights then even after Phil Twyford requested a re-consideration in parliament for our right to be heard this was all refused our rights.
I sincerely hope for all our sakes ,when a labour Party lead Government take over in September, they will change the rules of these “select committee” lack of our rights so to be given a verbal hearing, in order that the issues are fairly reviewed so we can again have our case properly considered.
“Submitters should be allowed the opportunity to provide further submissions and the Committee given time to consider additional evidence,” says Clare Curran.
The Trashing of Citizens
The triage of Police, Parliament, and Biased Media is preventing New Zealand Ciitizens from receiving basic human rights.
The Police, paid for from citizen taxes and GST, are there to protect Citizens from injustice, violation, murder, drugs, burglary and undue imposed hardship.
Parliament is there to listen to petitions from Citizens who need assistance in specific projects that better their lives and aspirations.
Journalists are there allegedly to give out news. But factually, to assist wealthy persons (and wealthy politicians) to further the gains of the very wealthy people, through property assets, contracts, coverups and havens.
We need to break the nasty Triage. Legislate that the House does accept petitions. Licence Journalists (as we do Builders, Fishermen, Teachers, and Engineers, Doctors) and fine them heavily if they write biased crap.
That way we might even get Bill English and his Deputy to consider there is a Housing problem.
We might get him to explain why he has put NZ into Billions of Debt.
Why he is covering up Pike River information.
Why he can’t do anything about our shockingly polluted streams and rivers for 46 yrs into the future.
But none of it’s true, it’s just misleading, just ask Audrey( I love John Key) Young…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11848325