Bills with wide -ranging implications, “Blunderbus Bills”, are being pushed through under cover of COVID-19 response.
One such bill is the “COVID-19 response Further Management Bill”
“Omnibus bills are the sawn-off shotgun in Parliament’s legislative weapons rack, and like a blunderbuss are designed to impact as widely as possible. “ Read more at link below:
Omnibus blunderbuss: hitting 45 laws in one shot
One particular bill, however, more than any other, has raised the ire of the Opposition Party and more concerningly, come under scrutiny from the Human Rights Commission.
“For weeks the Government has known that we would be moving to alert level 2. It has not allowed enough time for careful public democratic consideration of this level 2 legislation. There has been no input from ordinary New Zealanders which is deeply regrettable…This is a great failure of our democratic process. The new legislation, if passed in its current state, will result in sweeping police powers unseen in this country for many years.”
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt.
Human Rights Commission Deeply Concerned About COVID-19 Public Health Response Bill
You can help: Take action and add your voice of opposition by signing this petition.
Once these far-reaching bills pass into law (this one now passed, see update), it can be very difficult to reverse them. Temporary? Yeah, right. Ever heard of extensions and amendments?
Let Ardern and her government know we are NOT their “team of five million”, we do NOT roll over submit without question! This is NOT a Communist state. We are a Democracy and We The People value our rights and freedoms. It’s never too late to speak up. MH.
UPDATE:
Covid-19 powers approved under urgency
New legislation allowing the Government to enforce Level 2 restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic have been passed by Parliament, despite protests about a lack of scrutiny and the intrusive powers being granted.
The COVID-19 Public Health Response Bill, which went through Parliament in less than two days and with no select committee hearings, grants police warrantless entry to premises if they reasonably believe virus-related orders are being breached.
It also gives the Prime Minister the ability to grant special powers to the Health Minister in making public health orders – something which could previously only take place through the declaration of a state of emergency or the issuing of an epidemic notice….READ MORE
The Government needed to have some trust in New Zealanders to do what was in their best interests “Unfortunately this bill takes away that element of trust, it takes away the discussion with New Zealanders about what would be a good thing to do, and most concerningly it concentrates all of the decision-making in the hands of one person, the Prime Minister.”
Gerry Brownlee
And that’s coming from former “Earthquake Minister” Brownlee?!
I’d call this dictatorship, wouldn’t you? MH
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