12. CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) Link to this
to the Minister of Justice
Does he stand by his statement that all political parties and interested members of the public will have an opportunity to have input at more than one stage on the process of electoral finance reform; if so, what progress has been made to date?
Hon SIMON POWER (Minister of Justice) Link to this
Yes; an issues paper was released last Friday, after consultation with all parliamentary parties. Members of the public have 5 weeks to make written submissions on the issues paper. There are also three public meetings, to be held in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, where the public can make their views known. We are seeking a wide range of views in order to create a fair and enduring replacement for the Electoral Finance Act.
Yes, once the Government has received submissions on the issues paper, we will use them to develop a proposal document. All parliamentary parties will be consulted again before we release that document for further public consultation. Submissions on that document will assist us in drafting a bill to reform electoral finance law. Once the bill is before Parliament, the public will also have a further opportunity to make a submission on the bill during the select committee process.
Hon David ParkerIs the Minister aware that at the last election the National Party and its candidates disclosed the source of only 15 percent of their $4 million of election spending, and does he agree that transparency with regard to donations to political parties is a cornerstone of maintaining public confidence in our democracy?