[ad_1]
The National Party will vote against the first reading of a new Covid-19 law, which cannot be enacted until just before Wednesday’s deadline.
The law is required to allow Level 2 alert compliance with rules such as social distancing and meeting restrictions.
The government had urgently planned to pass all readings of the public health response bill in parliament on Tuesday because it should be in effect by the time the country goes to level 2 at 11:59 pm Wednesday.
The debate and new readings of the bill are likely to continue Wednesday morning.
READ MORE:
* Coronavirus: Dr. Ashley Bloomfield rejects Simon Bridges for ‘not answering simple questions’ claim
* Coronavirus: Has Winston Peters found a way to avoid the 10-person rule at funerals?
* Coronavirus: government must urgently pass new law for Level 2 alert
During debate on the bill, national leader Simon Bridges told the House, the party fully supported opening to level 2, but believed that more confidence should be put in the public.
The party had civil liberty concerns with the bill, he said.
Those related to funerals, tangi, places of worship, fulfillment and the amount of time that the law would apply.
The bill has had very limited scrutiny and the Opposition had only seen a copy 24 hours before, he said.
“I dare say it, in recent times, we have been wrong, happening things that we did not even know we were happening. Therefore, the margin of error in this bill is incredibly high, given the legal complexities. ”
National Deputy Michael Woodhouse said the party would not support the first reading.
During the debate, he told the House that he was sad because at this stage of the process, the national party could not support the bill.
“Because we want this to be a team of five million, but it is the government that is rushing in a direction that we cannot support by restricting the freedom of New Zealanders without their right to express their opinion. Unless there are material changes, which will be pointed out, it will be difficult to endorse this later. ”
Dom Thomas / RNZ
Attorney General David Parker said the reason a one-day selection committee failed to proceed was that it would have left a one-day gap between the start of previous Stage 2, which the government had managed to present for one day.
He “condemned” the bill for its process and executive overreach.
He said it was an insult to the public not to allow them to comment on the bill.
When does this end? We will be like this until a vaccine is found … Are we really saying that this is going to be the life of New Zealanders for the next 18 months and if so, why not give them an opinion about it?
He said Things during a break in the process that his party was not filtering and just wanted to get it right.
The party had not made a decision on whether to support or oppose the entire bill.
That would depend on the Government’s Supplemental Order Documents (amendments) to address the Opposition’s concerns and make necessary improvements, he said.
National Congressman Mitchell expressed concern that the bill would grant police powers to enter a home without a court order.
KATHRYN GEORGE / THINGS
Here are the key rules for knowing about life at Covid-19 Alert Level 2.
The government was pressured to rush the bill, and the cabinet ruled out a one-day selection committee.
Attorney General David Parker said the government had assessed that there was no time for the regular selection committee process. Instead, it released a draft disclosure bill to the Opposition and to experts on Monday, who understood that they were unhappy with the short period of time for scrutiny.
During Tuesday’s Question Time, Parker said the reason a one-day selection committee failed to proceed was that it would have left a one-day gap between the start of previous Stage 2, which the government had managed to present by one day.
It would have left a gap in enforcement if the bill hadn’t passed, he said.
During the second reading, Parker acknowledged some concerns and recommendations raised by the National Party and ACT.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during Question Time that a one-day selection committee may not have been able to provide space for meaningful comments.
“We wanted input from those who had a significant interest and experience in these legal matters, and we feel that we directly provided a draft exposure that would give us an opportunity to try to do that as well.”
In a statement, ACT leader David Seymour welcomed the government’s decision to establish a legal framework for Alert Level 2, but said the legislation in its current state was flawed.
He had prepared three amendments that, he said, would address the bill’s lack of accountability mechanisms, improve the issue of hasty lawmaking, and properly place enforcement orders in the hands of ministerial responsibility.
These included removing an overlap of power that remained between the powers of the Minister of Health and the Director General, limiting the power of the Director General and protecting the safeguards around ministerial responsibility for enforcement orders.
He also proposed introducing a safeguard against abuse of power by creating a liability mechanism for law enforcement officials who are hired by the Director-General to enter the facility, close businesses, and issue fines.
He proposed that the law should be in place for one year instead of two, to “allow for an appropriate parliamentary process to take place.”
