Power Simon: Electoral (Administration) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Power Simon: Electoral (Administration) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:663;Page:11005] 
Hon SIMON POWER (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 I move  
That the Electoral (Administration) Amendment Bill be now read a third time 
. This bill is part of a suite of legislation that gives effect to National’s commitments to reform the electoral process. The bill transfers the functions of the current Chief Electoral Officer and Electoral Commission to a new Electoral Commission which will be fully functional from 1 October this year. I am pleased to say that this bill received widespread parliamentary support during its passage through this House. Such consensus is a longstanding convention for progressing significant electoral reform and it also embodies this Government’s general approach to such matters. I acknowledge and express my appreciation for the cooperation of all parties throughout this process. 
The new Electoral Commission will be established as an independent Crown entity overseeing the administration of the electoral system. The bill seeks to maximise existing resources and to reduce costs by combining the functions and powers of the two agencies into one entity. Some submitters to the Justice and Electoral Committee proposed that the new electoral agency should be established as an Officer of Parliament instead of as an independent Crown entity. I gave that matter serious consideration before introducing the bill and the select committee gave serious consideration to it while it was before that committee. However for the reasons canvassed in this House and in the select committee’s report I remain convinced that an independent Crown entity is the best fit for the new Electoral Commission. 
There are a number of protections in the bill that will ensure the commission’s independence. First the Electoral Commissioners will be appointed and removed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the House. Second the Electoral Commission will have a statutory duty of independence. The commission’s objective under this bill includes a specific direction to administer the electoral system impartially effectively efficiently and in a way that maintains confidence in the system. Third the Electoral Commission will be able to provide information and advice to the Minister of Justice or to the House at any time and of its own volition or during its regular post-election report. Finally as the responsible Minister the Minister of Justice is unable to direct the Electoral Commission to give effect to or have regard to Government policy. I am therefore assured that the public and this House will be able to hold full confidence in the new Electoral Commission proposed by the Electoral (Administration) Amendment Bill. 
I signal to the House that should this bill pass its final reading the Government will proceed with a further electoral administration bill to implement the second stage of electoral agency reform. That bill will provide for the transfer of the functions of the Chief Registrar of Electors to the new Electoral Commission in 2012. The new Electoral Commission will administer the 2011 general election and a simultaneous referendum on the electoral system. This is as was pointed out in the Committee stage by various members a very large task. The new Electoral Commission will therefore need to be fully functional in a relatively short period of time. For this reason I wrote to the leader of every party in this House to advise them in advance of the approach that I intend to take to appointments to the commission and to invite them to take part in that process. 
I will take a moment to express my thanks—on behalf of the Parliament I hope—to the Chief Electoral Officer and to the current Electoral Commission. I know that their consummate professionalism will continue during the transition to the new commission. I also thank existing staff and management in advance for their assistance. 
The new Electoral Commission will provide an independent cohesive and transparent regime for the administration of elections in this country. It will contribute to the maintenance and to the operation of a core element of New Zealand’s democracy being the electoral system. I commend this bill to the House.