Hide Rodney: Electoral Finance Bill Broadcasting Amendment Bill (No 3) Electoral Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
Hide Rodney: Electoral Finance Bill Broadcasting Amendment Bill (No 3) Electoral Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
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RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I commend Mr Peter Dunne and United Future for the stand they have taken today and for saying that in their view the law is OK but public perception is against it and that therefore they will vote against this legislation. 
What we have had here irrespective of one’s view of this legislation is a very poor process by which it has been developed. I think that the poor process is at the heart of the concern that Mr Dunne has identified. I look across to the Labour members I look across to New Zealand First and I look to the Greens— 
Jill Pettis 
: We looked for you once but you were dancing. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: —and I would say to them that if we are to develop an electoral system a donation regime for political parties and a set of rules the citizens of New Zealand can follow that will stand the test of time then we need a proper process. We need a process that is independent of the political parties that engages with the public and that then comes back to this Parliament for Parliament to consider. 
We have here a mixture of revenge envy political partisanship and political opportunism—the worst possible process that we could have for developing our electoral law. The result of it whatever we may think of the legislation is a bad outcome from the point of view of public perception. We have already had the major Opposition party say that it will repeal it so it will not last if there should be a change of Government. That is not the way to be developing electoral law in this country. 
Ron Mark 
: Who’s going to help them? 
RODNEY HIDE 
: Let me turn here I say to Mr Mark—and I would tell Ms Pettis to listen to this—to why the ACT party opposes this legislation. We oppose this legislation not only because of the process but also because of the law itself. I cannot believe that Labour New Zealand First and the Green Party would be passing on the last day of the parliamentary year a law of State censorship of New Zealanders’ right to speak out to criticise a Government a political party or a policy. That is a fundamental right of every New Zealander. 
Jill Pettis 
: You lot just want to buy an election. Is it OK to buy an election? 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I say to Ms Pettis that it is not about the financing of political parties; it is about the right of New Zealanders to speak out against a Government against a political party and against a policy that they oppose. It should be a free right of all New Zealanders to be able to speak out—not just on talkback and by door-knocking but by spending their own money on organising and by spending their own money on pamphlets. That should be the fundamental right of every New Zealander. 
It may be that the Labour Party the National Party or the ACT party do not like the criticism but each and every one of us in this Parliament should be standing up for the right of New Zealanders to express their political opinions. Regardless of whether we believe it is right whether we believe it is wrong or whether we believe it is true or untrue we should be defending the right of New Zealanders to have their political views. 
Jill Pettis 
: So how come you didn’t say anything when National closed off the rolls a month before the election in 1993? How come you didn’t say anything then? 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I can understand why Jill Pettis is against that having listened to her yell and scream and try to shut down the debate even in this House. 
I say to the Labour Party New Zealand First and to the Green Party that for me it has been a sad day to sit in this House and listen to the partisan views and to hear the attacks on the New Zealand media when those members say the media is wrong because they do not agree with this legislation. I have listened to the attacks made on Mr John Boscawen a citizen who stood up against this legislation and on everyone who stands up against this legislation as though somehow those people are wrong or badly motivated. 
I say that it is a sad day when the Prime Minister of New Zealand cannot be here on this day to debate this most vicious attack on New Zealanders’ ability to express a political view. Why can New Zealanders not stand up say what they believe about politics and spend their own money doing so? What does Labour have to fear? What does New Zealand have to fear? What does the Green Party have to fear? Why is it that if a New Zealander wants to have a political view he or she now has to register with the Government? How is it possible that we have to register with the Government to express a political view and to spend our own money? That is what we are doing here and we are capping what people can spend. 
I say that the confusion on this legislation is simple. Somehow we have confused two great principles—the principle of free speech and the principle of democracy. The principle of democracy is one person one vote. That is the principle of a democratic country—one person one vote. That is what we should be standing up for here. There is another principle and it is called the principle of free speech. That means that we should be able to speak our own minds. [ 
Interruption 
] I say to Mr Mark that that also means we should be able to spend our own money. That is what those members hate. We should be able to spend our own money on printing a pamphlet that gives expression to our political views. 
I say that under this law all the great campaigns of history would have to be registered with the Government. That is what this Government is doing to New Zealanders. It is saying that the campaigns to free the slaves to abolish slavery and to give women the vote would have to be registered with the Government before they could be run. Campaigns against apartheid would have to be registered with the Government. Campaigns against unpopular wars would have to be registered with the Government. I say that our forebears did not fight and die in wars so that we could live in a free country where to campaign for a political view we would have to register with the Government and have a cap on what we could do and what we could spend. I say that Mr Peter Dunne has listened to the people of New Zealand. Why does New Zealand First not do so? Why do the Greens not do so? Why does Labour not do so? Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker.