Parliament is now in its final week before it dissolves and the election campaign begins in earnest.
And despite passing a huge amount of legislation already this term the Government is not going gently into that good night. Not even close.
Even in this final week the House is set to accord urgency that will mean it sits from 9am until midnight in order to complete five more bills - two of them Covid related - and begin a sixth.
Chris Hipkins in the House Photo: ©VNP / Phil Smith
Auf wiedersehen
One reason urgency is required is that Parliament’s final weeks tend to have a lot of other business filling them. Retiring MPs can give final, valedictory speeches, and this year a lot of MPs are leaving. Since the 2017 Election 25 MPs have left or announced they will leave. One each from New Zealand First and the Greens, four from Labour and 19 from National.
This week Labour MPs Iain Lees-Galloway, Raymond Huo, Clare Curran, Ruth Dyson, and Green MP Gareth Hughes, and National MPs Jiang Yang, Nicky Wagner and David Carter will deliver their valedictory statements.
The Labour and Green MPs on Tuesday, the National MPs on Wednesday.
Tinkering with the rules
Towards the end of each Parliament MPs consider whether Parliament’s rules (Standing Orders) need a tweak. The report suggesting changes gets debated this week as well. This time there are a number of pretty big changes. More to come on all of that - there is much to discuss.
Green MP Chloe Swarbrick on the Standing Orders Committee Photo: ©VNP / Phil Smith
Let’s wrap this up
The final things Parliament will do is hold a debate about ending. This doesn’t actually dissolve Parliament. That’s a separate ceremony, happens next Wednesday and doesn’t involve the MPs. This debate is the MPs own end-of-Parliament send-off and lets them off from attendance next Tuesday (when the official sitting calendar says they will).
This being a pre-election adjournment, it’ll be more political than the typical Christmas finale.
And all those pesky bills
The third and final reading of the budget is being debated Tuesday. That is the final sign-off for the government’s spending plan for the year.
Once that’s done the House will pick up its skirts and start another long sprint. This time to the finish line.
Urgency will finish off the debates on:
- the COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill [charging for quarantine],
- the COVID-19 Response (Further Management Measures) Legislation Bill (No 2) [administrative allowances for Covid delays etc],
- the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill [yes to picture hooks and fibre installation etc],
- the Fuel Industry Bill, [fuel prices fairer in competition-light areas],
- the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill [paying for family care].
Also, the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill will receive its first reading and there will be a motion to extend the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020.
