Media Statement

Hon Peter Dunne
MP for Ohariu
Leader of UnitedFuture

Monday, 5 November 2012

Dunne: MMP Changes Must Protect Right To Representation

UnitedFuture Leader Peter Dunne today acknowledged the Electoral Commission’s MMP recommendations, saying the bottom line on any changes should be based on diverse political opinions being able to be represented in Parliament.

“We pushed for a 3 percent threshold and retention of the one-seat rule because in the end, they have led to representation of small but still substantial sections of the electorate,” Mr Dunne said.

“Four percent is definitely an improvement on where it is currently.

“I think any changes, however, need to be made without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Diversity of opinion and representation need to be protected in a healthy, vibrant democracy.

“And there is no arguing that under MMP we have had a much more diverse Parliament than we previously had under First Past the Post,” Mr Dunne said.

“I will certainly be happy to engage in what I hope will be a very broad dialogue and debate about these recommendations.

“Our democracy is a precious thing and we need to think through any changes very carefully.

“If anything, we should err on the side of making diverse political representation easier, not more difficult,” he said.

www.unitedfuture.org.nz

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>