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Electoral Finance Law Simply Big Brother Bullying

Embargoed until 3rd Reading today

MEDIA RELEASE
18 December 2007

Electoral Finance Law Simply Big Brother Bullying

Family First NZ is labeling the passing of the Electoral Finance Bill as yet more evidence of politicians being seriously out of touch with the views of a huge majority of NZ’ers.

“After passing the hugely unpopular and ineffective anti-smacking law, they continue to ignore the voice of the NZ public,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“If this was a group of children from a family playing Monopoly together during the holidays, the politicians supporting the EFB have acted like the oldest child who is so desparate to win, they have demanded to be ‘banker’, have made one set of rules for every other player, but has their own rules designed to ensure the others don’t win but they do!”

“It is a classic example of the oldest sibling bullying the younger and smaller members of the family – namely rival candidates and groups that oppose their view and threaten their ability to win.”

“The politicians should be seriously asking, if this law is so desparately needed and deals with a huge perceived problem, why have they once again failed to get kiwi voters on side in support of this law change?” says Mr McCoskrie.

“The Electoral Finance Bill will mean that Family First’s planned simple one-off activity of placing a brochure into the hands of NZ homes in 2008 to highlight concerns and policies relating to families in NZ will be illegal. This is perfect proof of just how restrictive this bill is.”

Family First, like many NZ’ers, know that the problems of the last election could be simply solved by better enforcement and clearer disclosure, rather than the sledgehammer approach of limiting freedom of expression (although not applying to themselves) for an election year.

ENDS

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