Phil Goff
Opposition Leader

Speech

Michael Fowler Centre
Wellington

SPEECH NOTES
Welcome to the first OpenLabourNZ public event.

This is a new experiment in canvassing policy ideas from the public, both here in person and streaming live online.

This is the first time a major political party in New Zealand country has opened up our policy development to the public in this way.

But while the technology is new, Open Labour NZ is a natural progression of Labour’s values of democracy, a fair go for everyone, and governing for the many not the few.

Labour has always been the party of new ideas and vision for NZ.

The first Labour Government created a social safety net, and introduced universal health care and secondary school for all New Zealanders.

In the 1970s Labour gave New Zealand a proudly independent voice in global affairs, such as opposition to apartheid and French Nuclear testing in the Pacific. And we introduced a universal superannuation savings scheme.

And in the eighties I was proud to be part of the government that legislated for a nuclear-free New Zealand and introduced far reaching reform of the Muldoon-era command economy.

Under the Clark Labour Government we reasserted an independent foreign policy, expanded workers’ rights, introduced family support through Working For Families and created Kiwibank and KiwiSaver.
Labour has always been the party of reform and change and over five governments we have helped shape the society we have today.

But no party has a monopoly on good ideas. One of the pillars of transparency in modern NZ government is the Official Information Act. It was enacted by a conservative government in 1982 with bipartisan support.

This legislation has changed the way government is conducted, for the better by making the presumption that all information held by government should be publicly available unless there was a good reason to withhold it.

This is now now part of the fabric of NZ society, though some Ministers continue not to adhere to the spirit of the legislation.

Freedom of information is important because citizens are the heart of democracy, not politicians.

Labour believes in a stronger democracy.

A democracy that is for the many not the few.
Strong democracy requires a responsive government prepared to innovate to promote and improve transparency and accountability.

Labour believes in stronger communities.

And stronger communities are defined by participation, consultation and engagement by government with all New Zealanders.

That’s why I want to talk about how we can strengthen and develop the core values of our democracy.

I’ve long been talking about openness and transparency in government.

Back in 2000 in an address as Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Asia-Pacific forum, I said the three essential characteristics of democratic government were:

Participation - All individuals must have the right to take part in the government of their country.

Accountability - Governments must also be accountable to those they represent.

And Transparency - The processes of government must be open to scrutiny and to challenge by the people.

Participation, accountability and transparency are core values, and ones which today can be strengthened by technology.

Government departments routinely put their records online for anyone to read.

Cabinet papers are frequently posted so that anyone can look at the policy advice ministers considered.

The previous Labour Government went probably as far as any developed country government in putting government on-line and making information available.

We introduced some useful innovations in helping people interact with Government, too.

For example, companies can file their tax returns and interact with the Companies Office entirely online with no more hassle involved than online banking.

That’s not just good for democracy - it’s good for our economy, too.

But essentially it is mostly one-way communication.

It is about Government broadcasting its information in more accessible ways.

Or it is about providing easier ways for citizens to do what the Government wants.

It’s good that Governments do this, but the next step is to facilitate two-way engagement.

That is potentially a radical step-change in the way Government interacts with people and with communities.

Imagine some examples:

Think of a mother who is at home on Domestic Purposes Benefit and thinking about re-entering the paid workforce.

She wants to know what she is allowed to do without jeopardising her income and her children’s care. She wants to know what entitlements she might have to training assistance.

She wants to know how much her benefit and accommodation allowance will be reduced if she takes on part-time work.

How much better would we serve her if she could easily find videos to watch that helped answer questions and provide advice.

If forms she needed to be filled out could be completed online, and then she could open Skype or an Instant Messenger and communicate directly with the department.

Now imagine if she could go online to the Social Welfare website and read a forum where others in the same situation discuss what they did.

She might even do it in a Facebook group.

There might be representatives from the department trawling the forum and responding to questions and following up complaints.

That shouldn’t sound far-fetched. It is an every-day activity for TradeMe users, for customers of Microsoft or Apple computer, and for Vodafone here in New Zealand.

If those big companies can do it in a business, then the government of the people ought to be able to do it in a government department.

All of this pre-supposes that the woman will have a broadband Internet connection at home.

It presupposes that access to broadband will be seen as much of a right as access to a phone.

This means she has to have an income to be able to pay for a broadband connection.

And it requires that the price of the broadband is affordable.

It requires that the community she lives in has access to broadband so that she can get a connection.

Let me give you another example.

Imagine a Fisheries Minister a few years from now who has a difficult decision around managing a threatened inshore fishery.

It’s common for that management to involve a balance of the right of commercial users, recreational fishers and customary interests, as well as environmental protection of the fish stock.

Each has a meaningful stake.

Open Government could allow us to better enable everyone with an interest to participate in a decision around that fishery.

It can involve putting the science on the Net so anyone can read it.

Putting proposals on line, perhaps as a Wiki for anyone to edit so that common ground and areas of disagreement can be openly clarified and identified.

And the debate can take place in the open, and the minister, officials, and other stakeholders can see the varying perspectives.

Decision-makers could consult online, and be available regularly to interact with interested parties.

I don’t believe that’s unrealistic.

I already do it to some extent with my own web presence.

Dozens of people every day contact me through Facebook.

They often ask questions and provide support, ideas - and, sometimes, criticism.

And before I can answer, there are often many others joining the conversation with those participants, offering their own perspective on topical issues.

Labour is holding web-based meetings where we can discuss issues and include comments and questions from anyone who wants to join in.

This is a world away from the days when politicians would simply broadcast their views to the world and hope someone was listening.

It relies on openness to comments, openness to ideas and to the perspectives of others.

There are important changes promoting democratic openness going on around the world.

On January 21, 2009, one of the first things President Obama did in office was to sign a Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on Transparency and Open Government.

It called for an unprecedented level of openness in Government, asking agencies to “ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration”.

In Australia, ‘Public Sphere’ is a process for consultation and public policy development used in Australia.

It’s championed by Labour Senator Kate Lundy who I thank for joining us later today via internet link

And just a few weeks ago the Australian Government released its Declaration of Open Government, which is built on the key principles of informing, engaging and participating with the public.

It acknowledged that the internet holds a crucial role in realising a more open and transparent form of government in Australia.

It seems no coincidence that one of the biggest issues in the election campaign in Australia was the enormous broadband packages being offered by the major parties.

Crucially, all sides are pledging to make sure remote communities have as much access to broadband, as a matter of citizenship, as any other community.

In the UK a report called Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Govt was presented to Parliament in late 2009.

It contained plans to save the government 12 billion pounds a year on top of savings already projected in past efficiency plans and budgets.

The report recommended moving to online proactive disclosure of government data.

In other words - making information available before people ask for it to be released.

And in New Zealand there have also been some movements in this direction.

The Government announced the establishment of an open data portal in November last year.

And I am looking forward to the Law Commission Review of the Official Information Act likely to be released later this year.

But we have much more to do in this country to be able to assume the mantle of a country that is truly embracing openness and transparency in how it conducts government.

Labour knows we must understand and embrace the technology, issues and debates of the digital age.

We will integrate them into our policies, into our own practices and into our practice when we’re in government again.

Labour MPs are pretty much leading the way.

We have developed the Red Alert blog and Labour MPs can directly interact and engage.

Today it’s a respected vehicle for people to go to know what Labour MPs are thinking and talking about.

It’s not manufactured. It’s thoughtful, sometimes funny and a bit odd. But it’s real. You can tell it’s real just by reading some of Trevor’s posts.

This commitment to openness brings us naturally to today.

This event is part of developing Labour’s policy on open and transparent government in an open environment, using new technology and engaging with the public.

Democracy is not static and needs to be open to change and improvement.

It should ensure governments are accountable to the people they serve.

Transparency, accountability, real engagement and openness with New Zealanders makes government better. It helps government fulfil its promise, and helps to create jobs, lift incomes and create a smart economy.

In any Government I lead, transparency will be important, not just when spending public money, but across everything we do.

So today I want to signal four important areas for thinking about as you have these discussions today.

The first is that Labour will take a policy on open and transparent government into the next election.

We will demonstrate our commitment to the principles of participation, transparency and accountability.

Second, transparency of members of parliament is essential.

We can strengthen ways the public can have an input into the democratic process.

When decisions are considered, we can use technology to do more to open up decision-making and legislation to two-way participation.

You don’t have to go as far as electronic voting on individual proposals to bring more transparency and participation into decisions.

The third area is the question of ensuring all New Zealanders can access the Internet.

Closing the digital divide for New Zealanders is important.

All New Zealanders should be able to access adequate technology and to develop the skills to pursue it effectively.

If everyone has access, we will be able to invest in government services online with confidence, knowing all our citizens can be reached.

And finally we need to ensure our principles are upheld in government through a culture change in the way public services are delivered.

In a government I lead, there will be commitment and determination at the highest level to delivering more of our public services in an open way.

New Zealanders need to know their voices will be heard and that the business of government will not be conducted in secrecy.

Today’s event is an example of true citizen engagement with politics and politicians.

I look forward to the ideas and suggestions you come up with.

I commit Labour to taking these ideas seriously and developing a sound policy on open and transparent government to take us into next year
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I leave you with this thought.

Governments have to be able to understand the issues and debates and acknowledge that old ways are being replaced by new ones.

And what is the role of government in the 21st Century?

Courage and vision and a willingness to change and adapt and try new things that are grounded in enduring values.

Thank you for your participation today.

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