13 Jun 2019

The House today - Thursday 13 June 2019

From The House , 9:00 am on 13 June 2019

The Budget Debate continues today following the announcement of Budget 2019 at the end of last month.

A bill confirming the tax rates for next year will also be worked on and some further stages of bills that have popped up earlier in the week.

Thursdays are shorter days in the House running from 2pm to 6pm so below is an indication of what the House will work on before finishing up for the week.

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Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

Question time - 2pm

  • The fastest moving part of a sitting day with 12 questions to Ministers, plus follow-ups.

  • Opposition MPs will try to catch the government out while government party MPs will throw softer questions to give a Minister the chance to boast.

  • Follow-up questions (supplementaries) are usual, but at the discretion of the Speaker, Trevor Mallard, who has been known to award and remove supplementaries when MPs misbehave.

Budget budget budget (continued)

The 2019 budget in the debating chamber

Photo: RNZ / Ana Tovey

What       

  • The Appropriation (2019/20 Estimates) Bill     Second reading (still)

  • (a.k.a. ‘The Budget Debate’). There is no debate on the first reading, so this is the first debate.

  • A wide-ranging debate over the Government’s spending proposals for 2019-2020.

  • This debate is not expected to last very long today.

Why

  • Approving a government’s spending is one of the core functions of the Parliament.

  • The budget is the underpinning of a government’s plans. As such, there is much to discuss.

Who

  • The Bill is in the name of the Minister of Finance, but everyone has a stake in this one.

Confirming 17-year-olds are youths - third reading

What:

  • Oranga Tamariki Legislation Bill

  • The bill will tweak legislation to make sure 17 year olds are included in Youth Justice policy.

  • It will also correct some drafting errors like “ broad provisions relating to interim court orders.”

  • It’s an omnibus bill which means it affects more than one Act. This bill will amend 12 pieces of legislation

  • The third reading is the final tick from the House on a bill before it goes off for checks and signatures.

Who:

  • Minister for Children Tracey Martin

Refueling the money train - second reading

The 2019 budget in the debating chamber

Photo: RNZ / Ana Tovey

What:

  • The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2019–20, GST Offshore Supplier Registration, and Remedial Matters) Bill. (I’m always impressed when the Clerk or an MP reads out a bill named like this without having to pause for breath).

  • This bill relates to next year’s rates and rules.  

  • It also does other things including helping IRD charge GST for things bought online from overseas.

  • This second reading debate will be focussed on the report from the Select Committee that recently heard submissions on this bill. Committee reports discuss the committee’s suggested changes and provide an edited version of the legislation.

Why:

  • Apparently running a country costs money. Who knew?

Who:

  • This law is in the name of Minister of Revenue, Stuart Nash

House adjourns - 6pm

The House sits from 2pm on scheduled sitting days with a dinner break at 6pm till 7:30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It then resumes sitting until 10pm often interrupting a debate. On Thursdays the House finishes up for the week at 6pm.

You can see how much the House gets done each sitting day by going here: Daily progress in the House

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Photo: New Zealand Parliament