Member's Day

Today, by leave, is a Member's Day. Yes, last Wednesday was a Member's Day too, but there seems to have been some swap done over the end-of-year urgency. Its good to see the government doing this, rather than just eating Wednesdays like it used to do, and they should pursue such deals more often to ensure that the other parties get their day and their say.

As for business, the first item is a local bill, then its on to the real stuff. Firstly, Scott Simpson's BORA-violating Land Transport (Admissibility of Evidential Breath Tests) Amendment Bill, which will probably pass with the support of National, ACT, and (of course) Peter Dunne. Then there's Jacqui Dean's Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill, which is a long-awaited updating of penalties for various offences under natural heritage protection legislation. Following that we have Metiria Turei's Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 (Application to Casinos) Amendment Bill, which extends the net of asset forfeiture even wider by allowing the government to reclaim proceeds of crime gambled away in casinos (with a reverse onus of proof and a civil standard of evidence). While I don't like casinos (they're a private tax on hope), hopefully this will be voted down. Finally, if the House moves quickly, it might make a start on Rino Tirikatene's Employment Relations (Protection of Young Workers) Amendment Bill.

There will be a ballot for two, maybe three bills tomorrow. Again it will be interesting to see what the parties have come up with.