Electoral Reform Bill Defeated

The Electoral (Adjustment of Thresholds) Amendment Bill has been voted down.

The bill in the name of Iain Lees-Galloway sought to lower the party vote threshold from five percent to four percent and he said if sent to select committee then that committee should be able to consider any other recommendations of the Electoral Commission’s 2012 review of MMP.

Mr Lees-Galloway said the bill was a reaction to the Government not implementing the 2012 review which wanted the party threshold reduced to four percent and the axing of the one electorate seat threshold (which allows the successful MP to bring in list MPs in proportion to their party vote). He believed the public would support the bill.

National’s Jacqui Dean said the bill was out of date and should be rejected and her colleague Judith Collins accused Labour of hypocrisy saying it had benefited from allies in the past using coat tail requirements and was now trying to remove them because they no longer suited them.

The bill was defeated by 58 to 63 with National, Maori Party, ACT and United Future opposed.

MPs then began the first reading debate of the SuperGold Health Check Bill.

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