Undersea mining is a big issue at the moment, and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer's Prohibition on Seabed Mining Legislation Amendment Bill is up for its first reading next Member's Day. But rather than vote for it, to allow a select committee to examine the issue and whether a full ban is necessary, Labour has instead decided to announce its own select committee inquiry:
Environment Minister David Parker has proposed a select committee inquiry into seabed mining - a move Te Pāti Māori says is weak and disappointing.So, it will basicly parallel the inquiry the committee would make into the bill, but without any chance of actual change emerging from it. Which is really Labour in a nutshell, isn't it? Happy to "consider" things and hold pointless inquiries, provided nothing ever changes.Parker said the inquiry would consider if changes were needed to seabed regulation in New Zealand's domestic zone, looking into risks and benefits of mining.
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With Labour holding a majority on the select committee, the proposal seems certain to succeed.
