Wednesday, March 16, 2022



Member's Day

Today is a member's day. First up is the Paige Harris Birth Registration Bill, an uncontroversial private bill to properly recognise a particular child's parent. Its being whizzed through with all its final stages taken as one debate after a lightning short select committee stage. No-one opposes giving this family some dignity, so I expect debate will be pretty short (not least because MPs may be saving it for Coffey's bill later).

Following that is the third reading of Louisa Wall's Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the rest of the second reading of Steph Lewis' Biosecurity (Information for Incoming Passengers) Amendment Bill. Following that the House should get most of the way through Nicola Willis' Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. If things move quickly, the House should make a start of Tāmati Coffey's Improving Arrangements for Surrogacy Bill, which (in part) addresses the general issues raised by the Paige Harris bill. Its a worthy bill, and I'm hoping it passes.

There are still plenty of first readings on the order paper, so there won't be a ballot tomorrow.