Regulatory Standards Bill: 30 hours allocated for public submissions on Act Party leader's bill

RNZ News

5 days ago

David Seymour also hit out at online campaigns denouncing the bill.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
ACT Party Leader David Seymour is defending the Regulatory Standards Bill getting only 30 hours of public submissions allocated.
Te Ao Māori News
has reported the Finance and Expenditure Committee made the decision to allocated a maximum of 30 hours for public submissions on the
Regulatory Standards Bill.
Submission on the bill closed on Monday, which has been introduced to Parliament in various forms on three separate occasions; first in 2006, then 2011 and 2021.
Speaking to media, Seymour said the bill was "probably the most consulted on bill this century" given it would be the bill's fourth time through the house.
But, Labour's Regulation spokesperson Duncan Webb said it was the "most rejected bill we've ever seen" and Seymour wanted to "slip it through under the radar".
Seymour said the point of select committee was to get information to the committee so they could write better a bill, not a "referendum".
"There's never been a bill that has had more consultation, more study, more debates, more deliberation this century than the Regulatory Standards Bill," Seymour said.
"If people really believe that 30 hours is not enough time to hear all valid views about it, then I don't think they're taking it seriously."
The ACT leader also hit out at online campaigns denouncing the bill and providing guides on how to make a submission - particularly from Greenpeace.
"Let's be honest, most of these people who have submitted have gone and clicked on a series of false statements put out by the likes of Greenpeace, and that's all they've done," Seymour said.
"These are not people that have read the bill or have something to say about it. So, if the idea is that because basically, Greenpeace ran an email recruitment campaign, there should be more listening, I don't think that's true."
In response, Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop said Seymour comments were a "pathetic attempt" to "delegitimise" opposition to the bill.
"Seymour has gone from calling people bots to
smearing academics
, and now he's trying to sideline people who have turned to trusted civil society organisations like Greenpeace to assist them in having their voices heard," Toop said.
Toop said it was a "travesty" that there would only be 30 hours for people to be heard in by Select Committee and the bill would insert "far-right ideology" into the law making process.
"Everyone deserves to have their voices heard on this bill, whether they had help with their submission or not," Toop said.
Opponents could be summed up as "never have so many, been riled up, by so few, over so little substance," Seymour said.
"I don't believe there's ever been a bill in this Parliament where every single written submission has been heard. A lot of people make written submissions and they ask not to be heard. That's normal." Seymour said.
Duncan Webb.
Photo:
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Labour's Duncan Webb said the bill had so far been "rejected every time" and Seymour did not want the bill to go through a full process.
"He wants to slip it through under the radar. It's ridiculous. He's got a truncated select committee process. It should be heard fully. There are thousands of people who want to be heard," Webb said.
"I like to think we live in a democracy where we give as many people as much voice as we can."
Webb said there would be too many submission to go through the process "indefinitely" but 30 hours was "derisory" and "insulting".
"It's undermining of people having a decent voice."
Asked how long public submission should go for, Webb said 100 hours for the Fast Track Bill and 80 for the Treaty Principles Bill was an "indication".
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