Just two weeks and two days remain in Parliament’s sitting schedule for the year, with a week of electorate-based work sandwiched in between.
But even as this crazy year careens towards a traffic-light-coloured summer, the country’s MPs have not slowed down at all. If anything they are pushing harder. Both the House and select committees have been plowing through prodigious work loads.
Entering Parliament House through the main doors, only used for ceremonial occasions Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
Last week: notes and stories
This week’s Sunday audio edition (above) of The House is a remix of two audio reports from during the last week. The Sunday audio is more comprehensive than the individual reports. However, the daily written reports contain information beyond the audio.
Below are links to the original stories from this week.
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Reality Check: Cabinet not in charge discusses 'parliamentary supremacy', referring to Parliament’s approval of Covid Orders on Tuesday, and to a less-than-friendly anti-vax protest placard.
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Three strikes repeal is a primer on a new government bill that plans to repeal the Three Strikes sentencing regime brought in by National and ACT in 2010. That repeal bill is now up for public submission to the Justice Committee.
- Froth on top, accord below: The different MP modes contrasts the surface-level verbal warfare MPs engage in publicly with the cooperation that often occurs behind closed doors; with particular reference to an agreement in August to pass the budget before the final debate was finished, but to return to complete the debate later (which happened last week).
Next week
This coming week will again include an extra morning of debating, with the added impetus of ‘urgency’ on Tuesday (and into Wednesday) to pass a bill that will presumably enable the traffic-light approach to Covid-19 infection management.
If the House manages to get through the urgency by 1pm on Wednesday, that evening will be a member’s day. Otherwise urgency will continue. That would sometimes act as an incentive for the opposition not to filibuster the bill's passage. However this week’s Members Day would likely begin with two Local Bills (from Labour MPs). Then two of the first three member’s bills up for debate would also be from a Labour MP.
For National, only Todd Muller's sunscreen regulation bill is near the top of the list. That incentive is offset by another member's bill being for abortion safe zones. Religiously conservative MPs may see an invitation to prevent this being debated at all - if only they can slow down the Covid-19 bill enough.
