Ryall Tony: Electoral Matters Bill — In Committee 
Ryall Tony: Electoral Matters Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:622;Page:17249] 
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay Of Plenty) 
: 
 At 7 minutes to 5 this Tuesday evening this Parliament is about to debate the most self-serving electoral manipulation that I have seen in 14 years of Parliament. The Minister is casting himself as the Huey Long of New Zealand politics who wants to give to himself the power to regulate the colour style shape and design of every other party’s electoral signage in this country and—what about this—it may only be used for the purposes of ensuring it does not endanger the safety of road users. Well what we have learnt from the Government’s quota ticketing policy is that it is the behest of the Government that counts the most rather than road safety. 
What is wrong with Supplementary Order Paper 310 is that it not only cuts across the Government’s much-vaunted partnership with local government by removing all discretion of local authorities relating to the erection of election hoardings it now gives the power to a Government Minister to make recommendations to the Governor-General which she will rubber stamp that will allow the Government to decide the design layout shape and colour of electoral hoardings. In no other part of the Electoral Act does the Government have the power to regulate the activities of its political opponents but that is what will happen with new clauses 7A and 7B. It is a self-serving electoral manipulation that opens up our electoral law to the sort of Louisiana style of politics that brings democracy into disrepute. 
I tell the Minister that it is anti-democratic for a partisan Minister to set the rules for people’s election hoardings. Regardless of this false caveat of not affecting the traffic this Government is trying to give itself a power that could be used against its political opponents. Blue is the sign of preference for Transit advisories in many parts of the country. When the Minister travels into his electorate he will see significant numbers of— 
Simon Power 
: That would be a first. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: It would be a first for that Minister and I have to tell members that Craig Foss has probably knocked on another couple of hundred doors in Hastings today. This Minister wants to give himself a power that no other party has ever sought in this Parliament and that is to regulate the activities of its opponents. Can members point to one section of the Electoral Act where Ministers can regulate the activities of their opponents in a way that can benefit the Labour Party? There is not one section. 
The National Party will also be using this debate to point out that Harry Duynhoven would have been out of this Parliament had this new section prevailed when he applied for a Dutch passport. Remember that? The Prime Minister said it was only a technicality. This bill would still see Harry Duynhoven out on his ear if the Speaker were bold enough to make that decision because it would be the Speaker’s choice to make. The bill states that a member of Parliament would be out on his or her ear but there is an exception if he or she renewed a passport or travel document. Mr Duynhoven did not renew his passport; he had had it taken away from him. He applied for a passport while he was a member of Parliament. Even though the Prime Minister tried to minimise it by saying: “Oh it is only a technicality.” the fact is that even the Government has admitted that what Harry Duynhoven did was an offence and it was this Parliament and this Prime Minister who let him stay in this Parliament. This bill would not fix that.