The House
Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament.
Hosted by Phil Smith & Louis Collins
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Peter Boshier says the public can rest assured that there is an enduring institution fighting for fairness and accountability.
House on Sunday: A scavenger hunt, a Treaty bill, and an annual health check
House on Sunday: A scavenger hunt, a Treaty bill, and an annual health check
This Sunday edition of the House is a compilation of the week's reporting, including: a Question Time naughtiness scavenger hunt, the Annual Review debate on Health, and the very unusual death of a Government bill — the Treaty bill.
The unusual death of the Treaty bill
The unusual death of the Treaty bill
Members' bills die ugly deaths regularly, but I can find no record in recent history of a government bill sent into the House to suffer the indignity of a negative vote. It was either unusually masochistic or the outcome of poor political judgement.
Verrall and Brown go tit-for-tat in health annual review debate
Verrall and Brown go tit-for-tat in health annual review debate
Despite this years' budget only a month away, the Government still have t's to cross i's to dot in regard to spending from previous years. The annual review debate is the final stage in that very long process.
A Question Time Scavenger Hunt
A Question Time Scavenger Hunt
Arguments, inferences, imputations, epithets, ironical expressions, or expressions of opinion.
It's not a lost verse from The Sound of Music's 'My Favourite Things'. It's a partial list of things Question Time questions cannot include. There are also some must-haves; and separate requirements for answers.
The House goes on a scavenger hunt, to find examples inside one Question Time.
Behind the door at a parliamentary privilege hearing
Behind the door at a parliamentary privilege hearing
Parliament’s Privileges Committee has been a major source of news over the last few weeks. What is privilege, and how does the committee typically work?
...and because this is a Sunday episode of the House, it also includes a replay of Wednesday's episode on leniency towards MPs 'schoolyard stupidity' during Question Time.
The parliamentary background to the 'missing submissions' story
The parliamentary background to the 'missing submissions' story
Parliament has voted to allow the Justice Committee to continue processing submissions on the Treaty principles bill, even after the committee's work on the bill is finished. This will allow them to be collected along with the submissions that were considered by the committee as part of its report.
We chat with the Clerk of the House of Representatives, David Wilson for background on the parliamentary rules and processes behind this move.
Gene Technology Bill: The public have their say
Gene Technology Bill: The public have their say
Nearly 25 years after the “corngate” saga of the early 2000s, the debate on Genetic Modification is back in New Zealand’s political consciousness thanks to the Gene Technology Bill, which is currently going through the select committee process.
Threats without consequences: Parliament’s “school-yard stupidity” classroom
Threats without consequences: Parliament’s “school-yard stupidity” classroom
Gerry Brownlee was a teacher when ‘the cane’ ruled the classroom. As Parliament’s Speaker, he is reluctant to reach beyond threats and pleas.
Parliament Bill arrives back in the House
Parliament Bill arrives back in the House
After a select committee process that presented MPs with lots of constitutional questions, the Parliament Bill is back in the House.
Do we need a Parliamentary Budget Office?
Do we need a Parliamentary Budget Office?
The House chats with two MPs from the Parliament Bill Committee about some interesting suggestions from submitters - namely a Parliamentary Budget Office.
Urgency giveth, and urgency taketh away
Urgency giveth, and urgency taketh away
Parliament spent much of this week debating bills under urgency. The Government can get more done in the House that way, but there is a trade-off in committees.
A week of urgent plod sprinkled with chaos
A week of urgent plod sprinkled with chaos
MPs were welcomed back to this three week sitting block by more urgency, and a boisterous question time.
Climate change adaptation: Parliament asks the small questions
Climate change adaptation: Parliament asks the small questions
Parliament’s recent inquiry and debate on climate change adaptation asked small questions, looked short term and inched towards reactive solutions.
Budget debate lite: MPs debate Budget Policy Statement
Budget debate lite: MPs debate Budget Policy Statement
This Week, Parliament had the debate on the Budget Policy Statement, which gave us a few hints as to what we can expect come Budget Day on 22 May.
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