Ryall Tony: Electoral Finance Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Ryall Tony: Electoral Finance Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:644;Page:13550] 
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
: 
 I have moved a number of amendments in my name in respect of the returns that need to be made by candidates. The legislation provides that candidates’ financial agents can provide returns and certification to the authorities. As we know a financial agent can be the candidate or an appointed person. Frankly I believe that any undertakings or certifications given in respect of a candidate’s campaign should be signed by the candidates themselves and not the financial agent if the financial agent is someone other than the candidate. I have moved a number of amendments providing that in respect of a candidate’s campaign—both expenditure and donations returns—it should be the candidate who puts it on the line by attesting and signing the document; it should not be the financial agent if the financial agent is separate from the candidate. I have made a number of amendments on that because I think that when it comes to a candidate’s campaign the candidate should be the person who puts it on the line rather than the financial agent as proposed here. 
There are a number of other amendments in the name of our colleague Mr Chris Finlayson that I would also like to support. Those amendments boil down to the issue of disclosure. It is very important for the public to have confidence in the electoral system and that is one of the goals of this legislation. One of the purposes set out in Part 1 is to try to improve public confidence in the electoral system which is not necessarily the case with this legislation. But there are requirements for the Electoral Commission to make available for public inspection lists of third party donations candidate donations and party donations. The Electoral Finance Bill requires that those donations be published in a manner that the Chief Electoral Officer considers appropriate. I do not know whether anyone in this Chamber has ever sought to see that information but one has to go to the Electoral Commission to get it. For the candidate spending returns one has to go to the Chief Electoral Officer to see them. I have done that regularly after elections. I go down there and check the opposition candidates’ spending returns as everyone else does together with their donor returns but there is only one spot to do that and that is the office of the Chief Electoral Officer. 
I have moved a number of amendments to improve transparency and the availability of information so that those returns particularly those relating to candidate and electoral district campaigns should be available for inspection in the offices of the registrars of electors. People in a local community who want to see that information should not have to travel to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Wellington to get it. I have moved a number of amendments which I hope other parties will support so that the Chief Electoral Officer when it comes to candidates’ donation returns and spending returns should be able to make those available in the offices of registrars of electors which are the nearest electoral-related offices for most ordinary New Zealanders. People would be able to go to the registrar and actually look at the returns which would give a level of scrutiny we have never had in the electoral system before. I think that parties across the board would want to support that. 
I also propose that in respect of party returns they too should be made available in the offices of registrars of electors. 
Hon Member 
: Hard copies. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Hard copies of those returns should be made available so that ordinary people can go down and look at them. If one of the purposes of this legislation is to enhance public knowledge of donations then a hard copy of that information should be available for ordinary people to go and look at. Right now it is just not easy. I think the Electoral Commission is making some information available on its website now that never used to be available but when it comes to the returns of individual candidates they are not available on the website and one has to come to Wellington to see them. I think that Parliament should support my amendment in respect of that change.