The Regulatory Standards Trojan Horse rolls on
A select committee has recommended several amendments for the controversial Regulatory Standards Bill, though Opposition parties continue to express deep concern that it places private interests above public good.
The legislation, which has been called everything from an attempt at improving “transparent and principled law-making” to “quite bizarre” and a “power grab” for the “old boys’ network”, was the subject of tens of thousands of public submissions this year.
It sets out “principles” for regulation. They don’t have legal effect – meaning not following them isn’t unlawful – but are intended as a guide for lawmakers and officials as to what is considered responsible regulatory practice. Legislation would be assessed as to its consistency with the principles, though any findings would not be binding on Parliament.
The bill, stewarded by Act’s David Seymour, has been contentious for a list of reasons, including concerns that it prioritises private property rights, is unnecessary, and doesn’t properly account for Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
It is part of the National-Act coalition agreement, which says the parties commit to “legislate to improve the quality of regulation, ensuring that regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency, by passing the Regulatory Standards Act as soon as practicable”.
The Regulatory Standards Bill represents the greatest trojan horse for corporate power in NZ Political history.
It will allow corporations to vet legislation using a very narrow libertarian interpretation of property rights over human rights.
It is dangerous and would have an immediate strangulation on democracy.
The extreme right want these powers to stop environmental legislation from catching up to their climate changing crimes.
Just so we are clear.
The Consultation time for a law as enormous as the Regulatory Standards Bill had a tiny window open over the holidays, and of the 20 000 submissions, barely .3% agreed with it!
Submitters oppose David Seymour’s regulation law. Why he’s charging forward anyway
David Seymour is intending to turn “up the heat on bad lawmaking” with a new piece of legislation outlining principles of good regulatory practice and establishing a board to keep politicians accountable for any red tape they impose.
A discussion document on the proposal drew significant attention over summer, pulling in more than 20,000 submissions. It coincided, however, with Seymour’scontentious Treaty Principles Bill also being out for public feedback, itself receiving a record number of submissions.
A just-released summary of that feedback found 88% of submitters opposed the bill, with just 0.33% supporting or partially supporting it. The rest didn’t have a clear position.
…only .3% supported out because it is such an egregious abuse of democratic power in favour of corporate power!
It is Property Rights over Human Rights!
ACT have tailored an economic straight jacket that will make it impossible to counter corporate interests ever again.
If this passes, Corporations will be able to stop any environmental or taxation policy they don’t like.
The radical nature of this should terrify every New Zealander. It is a brake pedal for corporate interests and a gag for democratically elected change.
We require regulated capitalism not free market fantasies!
This is a blatant power grab by those fearful climate change will provoke electoral demands they don’t want to pay for!
Why on earth are we placing democratic break peddles on legislation the people have mandated by popular vote?
The Regulatory Standards Bill is an ideological vanity project that will have the real world impact of strangling off the popular will of the people!
While all the media and popular coverage seems to have been directed towards the Treaty Principles Bill, David Seymour and Act are poised to achieve another substantive victory that has been over 20 years in the making.
The Regulatory Standards Bill, first introduced to Parliament in 2006 and reintroduced last year by Seymour in his role as the Minister for Regulation, is under the public consultation phase (quietly started on the day of the arrival of the hikoi in Wellington).
It will be taken up by parliament in early 2025.
As detailed by Melanie Nelson, the passage of this bill (an agreement in the coalition Government’s negotiations) will help Act to realise a longstanding goal of their neoliberal policy agenda, which is to enshrine the rights of individuals, particularly property holders and business owners, over the collective good of all New Zealanders.
“The focus on the Treaty Principles Bill risks overshadowing its dull but dangerous cousin, the Regulatory Standards Bill, which is currently open for consultation,” she writes. “The Regulatory Standards Bill is the brainchild of the Business Roundtable (now the New Zealand Initiative) and has been attempted three times previously by the Act Party.”
If passed, the bill will establish a hand-picked regulatory board to ensure that law-making complies with its regulatory “principles” and to deal with complaints of violations (the public can even call in their complaints via a newly established tip line).
NZs crony under regulated capitalism is forever being deregulated by donors to the Political Right (and at times the Left).
ACT and National have gutted MBIE because MBIE employs the people who regulate New Zealand’s poorly policed and under regulated capitalism!
We see this time and time and time again, State regulators who are supposedly policing the under regulated markets with barely enough staff to look into anything at all!
ACT and National’s bullshit dismantling of Capitalism’s police while expanding Corporate power tells you all you need to know about the deregulated hellscape a National/ACT monstrosity would birth into this world!
Creating a Board of Corporate Warlords to vet all legislation to ensure it doesn’t impact their property rights is so crazy, why would you allow this to happen Kiwi?
Why must you squirm on the ground like a worm for corporate interests?
How much did you hate Jacinda to allow corporations to take over?
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Act is fascism with a goofy smile .
The Regulatory Standards Bill is a disaster waiting to happen. It can only appeal to the mysogynistic and self-absorbed in our country. Real Kiwis must do everything they can to block its inception. It is typically Seymour and his ‘Atlas’ cohorts. Do they take us for fools – if yes, then more fool them. How can the Right have so many AH’s in their midst who continue to destroy our country? It’s impossible to find a decent MP in amongst them. From where did they spawn – can they all go back there, please?
“turn up the heat on bad lawmaking”. If they were serious about this, the current government should resign and call a snap election straight away. Instead, we know we need to endure another year of evidence free policy making.