National's Justice Spokesperson Wayne Mapp has today sought a select committee inquiry into the operation and functioning of the Human Rights Commission and the appointment of Commissioners.

"The resignation of Ella Henry and the facts leading up to it have raised grave concerns about the ability of the Commission to be able to fairly deal with issues around race relations.

"When a Human Rights Commissioner makes racist statements and the Chief Commissioner sits on them for a month, the public will question its confidence in the Commission.

"The Government's intention for the Race Relations Conciliator's office to be subsumed by the Human Rights Commission is now a matter of serious concern.

"The manner in which Commissioners are appointed was raised in Parliament earlier this year, particularly in respect of the degree of consultation by Government with Opposition parties. Our concerns have proved to be well founded. The appointment process must be reviewed," Dr Mapp said.

Dr Mapp has written to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee Chairman, Tim Barnett, seeking an inquiry into the operation and functioning of the Commission, and appointment of Commissioners.

Dr Mapp proposed that the Terms of Reference be: the operation and function of the Human Rights Commission, particularly in relation to handling of complaints and development of education programmes; the takeover by the Human Rights Commission of the Race Relation Conciliator's office; and the appointment of Commissioners with particular reference to the process of consultation between parties represented in Parliament.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>