Public Address | Cafe | Legal Beagle: Legislate in haste...

Sacha

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:43:03 +1200

This country's first world status is not evenly distributed, is all.

Graham Dunster

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:17:29 +1200

Well, we're not first world in so many things now and it's untrue to say that we're third world, so where else does this leave us? Two and a half?

Graeme Edgeler

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:15:51 +1200

We seem to be drawn inexorably to a second world status.

We're being an advanced communist state?

Graham Dunster

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:54:40 +1200

We seem to be drawn inexorably to a second world status.

Graeme Edgeler

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:02:17 +1200

A select committee would also have been an opportunity for policy to be debated – is a five-yearly census of every household still the best way to gather information in the 21st century?

That may be a good discussion to have, but I don't believe this bill is the place…

Sacha

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 12:33:25 +1200

an opportunity for policy to be debated

I'm not sure the current government believes in that, on principle.

Phil Lyth

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:45:51 +1200

A select committee would also have been an opportunity for policy to be debated – is a five-yearly census of every household still the best way to gather information in the 21st century?

One op-ed writer earlier this year (and I haven't been able to find the piece) suggested that…

Phil Lyth

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 08:50:55 +1200

I too was wondering why National sat on its hands for so long. Took three months until 27 May to announce the next census in 2013, and then another 10 weeks to introduce the bill.

There was plenty of time for a short select committee process.

The judicial review section…

Graeme Edgeler

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:44:20 +1200

In fact, why don't we have a proper process of drafting some robust legislation that can kick in when disaster strikes, rather than legislating in panic at the time?

Some would say that it's the three-year term of Parliament :-)

Rich of Observationz

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:35:33 +1200

Why don't they put a force majeure clause into the Statistics Act that lets any census be deferred in the event of a natural disaster that reasonably prevents it being conducted?

Then we'd have one less thing to worry about when the Big One takes out Wellington (or the Taupo…

Graeme Edgeler

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:14:37 +1200

I should add my thanks to Trevor Mallard.

When I realised the bill was to be debated under urgency, I posted my concern on his Facebook wall. He said he’d look into it and later stated during the debate in the House that he had received confirmation from the Minister…

Public Address

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:14:37 +1200

Discussion from blog post.