Wagner Nicky: Crimes (Repeal of Seditious Offences) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Wagner Nicky: Crimes (Repeal of Seditious Offences) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:642;Page:12543] 
NICKY WAGNER (National) 
: 
 National supports the Crimes (Repeal of Seditious Offences) Amendment Bill. We agree that there are good reasons to repeal the law relating to sedition and the most important is that the law is a threat to the principle of freedom of speech a principle that New Zealanders quite rightly hold dear. During the debate we have had we have heard many times that the law on sedition has been used in the past to impose political censorship to stifle political discussion and to suppress individual opinion. That is not what we want in New Zealand in 2007. 
Or is it? Right now there are real fears that the Electoral Finance Bill which is being forced through Parliament by this Government could deprive us of our right to be heard on political issues. It will do exactly the things we reject with this bill. It will impose political censorship it will stifle political discussion and it will suppress individual opinion. New Zealanders do not like political censorship. We believe that individuals should be allowed to have their say and quite rightly we resent new rules and regulations that limit our freedom of speech. The Electoral Finance Bill will do just that. 
Labour may try to dress the Electoral Finance Bill up as necessary medicine but it has not fooled the submitters. Of the over 500 submissions received by the Justice and Electoral Committee on the bill the vast majority are against it. Many submitters have wanted to present their submissions orally to the committee and have been concerned about rushed agendas and short notices. Many individuals many organisations and even the Law Society are concerned that the bill will significantly restrict freedom of speech. The Law Society in its submission pointed out that it felt it had to depart from a longstanding convention of constructive criticism to declare that Labour’s Electoral Finance Bill should be withdrawn. The society said the bill is complex vague and makes it dangerous for anyone to participate in elections for fear of unknowingly breaking the law. That is not the sort of law we expect to have in New Zealand. 
Even today speaking to the select committee the Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan described the Electoral Finance Bill as flawed. 
Martin Gallagher 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Speaker’s ruling 101/3 states: “Members must confine discussion to the main purpose and the contents of a bill and not deal at length with matters not provided for therein though reference may be made to such matters if related to the bill.” 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Thank you for raising that. That is a good guideline but I will be the judge on that. 
NICKY WAGNER 
: Rosslyn Noonan described the bill as flawed and asked the committee to withdraw or substantially change the bill given the implications of the proposed legislation for the democratic rights of New Zealanders. 
But I go back to the Crimes (Repeal of Seditious Offences) Amendment Bill. National agrees that the law on sedition should be repealed. We agree with the Law Commission which has said that the present law invades the democratic value of free speech for no adequate reason. Again the Human Rights Commission when commenting on the bill said it believed that the law on seditious offences seriously undermines freedom of expression. So it is right that those offences should go. But we also believe that the Electoral Finance Bill invades the democratic value of free speech for no adequate reason and that it too seriously undermines freedom of expression. We in the National Party are shocked and amazed that this Government thinks it is OK to replace one outdated and repressive law with another that holds similar dangers for our society.