Boscawen John: Electoral Referendum Bill — In Committee 
Boscawen John: Electoral Referendum Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:669;Page:16412] 
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I will respond to the comments of Lianne Dalziel and Metiria Turei but before I do so I will place something on record. The Hon Lianne Dalziel keeps asking why we are discussing these bills individually and not as a group of three. Let me advise her and the rest of the Committee that the ACT Party had no objection to discussing the Parliamentary Service Amendment Bill and the Electoral (Finance Reform and Advance Voting) Amendment Bill together. All we asked was that they not be discussed at the same time as the Electoral Referendum Bill which we saw as a totally separate bill. We wanted it discussed in a totally separate debate as had been proposed prior to 2 o’clock this afternoon. 
Let me come back to the comments of Metiria Turei. Lianne Dalziel referred to the fact that Metiria Turei had used the opportunity of speaking on Part 1 to engage in quite a wide-ranging debate. She related the history of MMP. I will come back to the history of MMP and the reason why we are having this referendum but this afternoon Metiria Turei made comments that simply astound me. I cannot believe what she has said. 
Metiria Turei said that there would not be the opportunity to have the best possible information. Those were her words. She said that there will not be the opportunity to have the best possible information. She said that we have taken from the community the chance to have the best possible information. What she asked is more important than informing people about and voting on the system that elects their politicians—not so much the politicians themselves but the options for our electoral system. She criticised the fact that people will be denied that information. Well the reason I find those comments absolutely astounding is that I suspect the Green Party and other members of this House are voting for provisions that will restrict that very information and deny groups the opportunity to pull together and form organisations to stand up and speak for or against a particular electoral system. 
The reason this bill is so flawed is that it restricts the rights of ordinary New Zealanders to spend more than $300000 promoting a particular system. They can spend no more than $300000. Metiria Turei should be taking a good hard look at herself and at her party’s position. She criticises the fact that the people of New Zealand will be denied the opportunity to have the best possible information yet Metiria Turei and other members of this House are doing exactly that because they are restricting the right of third parties to be involved in this debate. 
I come now to the comments of Lianne Dalziel. I think she made some very important points. Lianne Dalziel and the Labour Party are another group of people who have argued that we need to restrict the rights of people to put their position. I think that the Hon Lianne Dalziel has explained very well this afternoon why we should not in fact put on that restriction. She has just quoted a statement that our Prime Minister made when he was the Leader of the Opposition. She said—and I have no reason to disbelieve what she said—that John Key who is now the Prime Minister of New Zealand said that he thinks people will vote MMP out and that they will not vote for first past the post but for a new proportional system. 
The reason I make those points is that the Prime Minister was making a comment. He was giving the public a steer. He was indicating that maybe it is not such a good idea to have MMP but that if we are to vote out MMP then perhaps we need to vote in a new system that is proportional—or as Lianne Dalziel would argue only slightly proportional. The Prime Minister’s view has huge weight. Just by the very manner of his position his view has huge weight. If one takes the position of the Labour Party and is opposed to what the Prime Minister is saying then one will find that we are restricting the right of ordinary New Zealanders to stand up and speak out against the Prime Minister. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: And spend $300000. How many ordinary citizens have access to $300000? 
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN 
: Yes they have $300000 but they have $300000 in the context of a general election where the Labour Party will spend close to $5 million and the National Party will spend close to $5 million. The Green Party spent $1.8 million at the last election so we have no reason to believe that it will not do the same thing again at the next election. So in the context of political spending whether it is $10 million $12 million $15 million or maybe millions more dollars people who want to put the alternative view to the Prime Minister’s—and I am not saying whether the Prime Minister is right or wrong—are restricted to spending no more than $300000. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: So is the Prime Minister. 
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN 
: I say to the Hon Lianne Dalziel that the reason why it is important not to have those restrictions is that the Prime Minister is in a very powerful position. He can make comments which are carried in the media that favour one particular voting system and he can steer the public in a particular way. That seems to be what Lianne Dalziel is criticising. 
So if people strongly support MMP—and there are people in this country who do—how do they counter the Prime Minister’s comments? How do they counter the free publicity the Prime Minister gets when he goes on national television and says: “Look these are the faults of MMP but we’ve got a better deal for you.”? The only way people can counter those comments is to try to get into the media to try to get a campaign going and to try to put up arguments so that the people of New Zealand are informed and can be in exactly the position that Metiria Turei wants them to be in—informed and with very best possible information. 
The ACT Party will be supporting the Electoral Referendum Bill. We think that the people of New Zealand should have that opportunity. It is a very very sad day for New Zealand when we pass a bill that restricts the right of New Zealanders to participate in this referendum and denies New Zealanders the ability to get the best possible information in the way the Green Party says they should be able to. Thank you.