Chauvel Charles: Electoral Finance Bill Broadcasting Amendment Bill (No 3) Electoral Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
Chauvel Charles: Electoral Finance Bill Broadcasting Amendment Bill (No 3) Electoral Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
[Volume:644;Page:14054] 
CHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour) 
: 
 I would like to join my friend and colleague Lynne Pillay the chair of the Justice and Electoral Committee who so ably steered this legislation through the select committee process in commending the merits of the legislation to the House. I praise her chairing; it was excellent chairing in the face of extremely provocative behaviour. I would also like to add my thanks to the officials who worked very hard to advise the committee to ensure that what came to the House as a result of the committee process was good legislation. In that regard I particularly thank Helena Catt and Michael Petherick from the Ministry of Justice. 
In my brief contribution to this third reading I want to look ahead. I have said that I endorse all the comments made by my colleague but I observe that this bill is clearly not the last step in the need to provide for a system that prevents abuses and upholds democracy. This is recognised in that from the outset the previous Minister of Justice the Hon Mark Burton—in a call that has been continued by the current Minister Annette King—was very clear that a review group ought to be commissioned to consider the matters that remain outside the scope of this legislation. Paramount amongst those matters must be the public funding of political parties. As the Wallace Commission found so many years ago this is an essential element in maintaining democracy in a country such as ours. Australia Canada and now even the UK—thanks to the work being done by Sir Haydon Phillips—have taken steps to implement such a system. We run the grave risk of exchanging our democracy for a plutocracy every moment that we continue to delay implementing a system of public funding for political parties. I sincerely hope that the review group to be established which has been called for along with this legislation right from the start will very clearly call for the public funding of parties repeating the call made by the Wallace Commission back in the 1980s. 
Absolute transparency is the other matter that the review group must address. Any participants in politics must be open about their participation in it. It is just too risky in the long term and in a globalised business environment to continue to tolerate anonymity on either the supply or the demand side of politics—whether from parties donors or other actors. No donor and no spender seeking to influence the outcome of an election should ever be allowed to hide its true identity from the public. Strict caps on spending—always under review for their adequacy—and ensuring that undue barriers to entry into the process do not exist are required. 
I hope that the review group also looks at incentives to a broad participation in politics. We need civics education in our schools. People should be empowered to be more conscious of their rights and obligations in and to our society. Elected public service is a virtue and it should be seen as such not denigrated by cynical actors in the political or media processes. The best people in our society should be proud to put themselves forward to contribute to the political process or in the campaigns of those who do. Wider and deeper participation in political parties and groups that support civil society can only enrich our nation. We fail to promote this at our ongoing peril. 
Finally strong enforcement of clear rules is vital. I look forward to the day when one single powerful independent agency administers all the aspects of New Zealand’s electoral law. It should determine electoral boundaries it should register all the participants in elections and it should monitor their activities for compliance including donations spending and decisions concerning breaches of the law. It should also have carriage of the rules relating to political broadcasting. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: Where were you at the select committee? 
CHARLES CHAUVEL 
: Unlike the member who has just interjected I was not moonlighting making court appearances; I was at the select committee. I sincerely believe that this legislation is an important step on the way to a better democracy and the review of our electoral system is another one. If it is to be a success it must address the issues I have mentioned in this speech. I hope it will do so.