Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

United Future to oppose Supreme Court Bill

Media statement

For immediate release

Tuesday, 7 October 2003

United Future to oppose Supreme Court Bill

The United Future caucus has decided it cannot support the passage of the Supreme Court at this time, even though the Government has the numbers to pass the legislation, on the back of the Greens’ support.

United Future leader, Peter Dunne, said following today’s caucus meeting, “Our concern all along has been that a major constitutional change of this type should only occur with significant public support.

“That is why we sought successfully to broaden the select committee process when hearing submissions on the Bill.

“We have also made specific proposals to the Government regarding drawing the Supreme Court judges from the existing Court of Appeal; establishing a new independent procedure for the future appointment of all judges; considering the wider constitutional context in which changes like the establishment of the Supreme Court are being made; and delaying its implementation for up to a year.

“United Future is not convinced of the level of public support for or information about the proposed change.

“We believe strongly that significant changes to our institutions should be made only with full public and political concurrence, and this is not yet clear in the case of the Supreme Court Bill.

“Nor is it clear that sufficient effort has been made to gauge the level of public support for the proposal.”

Mr Dunne said, “We note that the Government has accepted many of our proposals in some shape or form.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“But United Future remains concerned at the level of opposition, in the business community in particular, to the establishment of a locally based Supreme Court.

“Because we are a pro-business party, we have listened closely to those concerns.

“For these reasons, we have resolved not to support this legislation at this time, and will be voting against it accordingly in Parliament this week.

“At the same time, we believe there are important issues regarding New Zealand’s future constitutional position that our country ought to be starting to consider and debate, and we will be initiating that process over the coming months,” said Mr Dunne.

ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.