Today is a Member's Day, and due to the postponement of a lot of business, it consists entirely of first readings. First up is Ricardo Menéndez March's Human Rights (Disability Assist Dogs Non-Discrimination) Amendment Bill, which should easily go to committee. Second is Mark Cameron's Resource Management (Regional Responsibility for Certain Agricultural Matters) Amendment Bill, which is (as usual for National) trying to undermine climate change and environmental policy and will be voted down. Third is Gerry Brownlee's Autonomous Sanctions Bill, which is a good idea and at least deserves a committee hearing, but Labour may veto it out of spite. Next is Tangi Utikere's Local Government (Pecuniary Interests Register) Amendment Bill, which is also a good idea, but backe dby Labour so it will go to committee. The House should at least make a start on Maureen Pugh's anti-homeless people Freedom Camping (Infringement Offences and Other Matters) Amendment Bill (which received a BORA warning from the Attorney-General yesterday) and if they move really fast they might even make a start on Ginny Andersen's Crimes (Child Exploitation Offences) Amendment Bill.
All this means a ballot tomorrow, likely for at least four bills, and maybe even five or six. If any MP is looking for something to put in the ballot, how about removing eligibility requirements from the OIA, or letting the Ombudsman actually investigate all OIA complaints, or repealing New Zealand's most racist law, or criminalising wage theft?
