Walker Holly: Lobbying Disclosure Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Walker Holly: Lobbying Disclosure Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 25 July 2012. Volume:682;Page:3969. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
HOLLY WALKER (Green) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker. Tena koutou ano e te Whare. I would like to thank members from across the House for the support indicated tonight for the Lobbying Disclosure Bill to be referred to the Government Administration Committee for further consideration. I am delighted that we will have the opportunity to progress this bill to the next stage. As I articulated in my first call the bill aims to bring a measure of transparency to lobbying activity in New Zealand and to enhance trust in the integrity of Parliament in political decision-making. It is consistent with recent moves to increase the transparency and independence of MPs’ salaries and expenses and with an international trend towards the establishment of lobbying disclosure regimes. 
I want to thank those members who chose to engage constructively in the debate tonight and who heard the principles I outlined in my first speech and took those on board. I want to thank the honourable member Charles Chauvel for his Supplementary Order Paper 76 but let him know that I will not be referring this with the bill to the select committee. As I outlined in my opening speech I expect the bill to be substantively amended by the select committee. I flagged in my opening speech some of the areas that I believe warrant further attention including the concerns of NGOs and smaller organisations. In that context I think it is premature to propose specific amendments in the way that the member has done at this early stage. I do not wish to prejudice any of the outcomes of the discussion at the committee and for that reason I do not consider it would be helpful to refer to the committee this Supplementary Order Paper. 
However I want to reassure the member that I am going into the select committee process with an open mind about how the bill might best take into account the particular concerns of the not-for-profit and NGO sectors. I am aware of these concerns and I am confident that the select committee can address many of them. I would like to reiterate that my approach to this bill will continue to be guided by the principles that lobbying is a legitimate activity that an open and accessible Government and Parliament are vital that the public has a right to know who is lobbying MPs and Ministers and about what and that a lobbying disclosure regime must be workable and practical and that it must be fair and apply across the board. 
I want to thank Sue Kedgley once again for initiating this bill and for allowing me to pick up the mantle of this important work for greater transparency. I would also like to thank the many individuals and organisations who have met with me to discuss the bill. I invite others with thoughts or opinions to do the same and to make submissions to the select committee. I thank members for their support of this bill once again. I acknowledge that the real hard work is about to begin and I am looking forward to that and to engaging in discussions at the select committee to secure the best possible legislation for an open transparent practical and fair regime for the public disclosure of lobbying activity in New Zealand. Once again I commend this bill to the House. 
Bill read a first time.  
Bill referred to the Government Administration Committee.