Finally, while I'm on the subject of Private Member's Bills: I'm once agains struck by the total lack of information in this area. We have to rely on press releases from individual MPs to know what is on the ballot - and those are few and far between. Can anybody name even one of the 11 National bills that could have been selected? Or any of the Green ones?
Private Member's Bills are likely to be more important then ever in the current Parliament, where the government does not necessarily enjoy a legislative majority. The public should therefore be kept informed of the possibilities, just as we are for Parliament's formal agenda. The Office of the Clerk should be publishing a list of the bills, their sponsors, and their purpose, rather than leaving us in the dark like this.
From the Green Party's own blog, for those who are curious:
ReplyDeleteGreenfrogred wrote:
Sue Bradford, Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill;
Jeanette Fitzsimons, Resource Management (Climate Protection) Amendment Bill;
Sue Kedgley, Consumer’s Right to Know (Food Information) Bill;
Keith Locke, Head of State Referenda Bill;
Nandor Tanczos, Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill; and
Metiria Turei, Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill.
The top Bill has currently been drawn :)