Wednesday was Parliament’s final day of the year. After an incredibly busy Tuesday (which continued until lunchtime on Wednesday) there wasn’t much work on the week’s agenda left to do on Wednesday evening.
MPs were left with just the daily Question Time, sixteen Covid Orders to approve and an adjournment debate - which was the main event.
The Hansard team show off their festive decorating skills. Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
The adjournment debate is basically a Christmas/Festivus/Kwanzaa farewell opportunity.
It’s an opportunity for alast laugh, some last thanks, and a last punch in the conk. The House will have highlights from that in our Sunday story.
Adjournment debates are mostly pretty amicable affairs - as long as MPs can weather the achingly bad jokes made at their expense.
In fact, other than the final Question Time, Parliament’s whole last week included many sudden outbreaks of bonhomie and accord.
Many of the eight different bills that the House considered were widely agreed (including the more significant ones), two of which had successful third readings and will now become law.
The Resource Management Act (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill overrides some local council housing planning rules in the major cities to encourage greater density. It has been a bit controversial but was passed with only the ACT party in opposition.
The Sexual Violence Legislation Bill was passed unanimously. It changes rules for sexual assault trials to try and make them less traumatic for victims. National had expressed concerns about changes to cross examination at previous readings but at the third reading they were on board, albeit with reservations.
In the debate on that bill Green MP Jan Logie gave a succinct précis:
“This bill enables complainants to say how they would like to give evidence. It requires complainants' and propensity witnesses' evidence to be recorded so it can be used if there's a mistrial, requires the sexual history of the defendant to meet the same threshold as the sexual history of other people. The threshold is relevance, and it requires judges to intervene if they believe questioning is inappropriate, misleading, or needlessly repetitive. It supports judicial directions on rape myths and allows victim impact statements to be given in alternative ways and to clear the court.”
Jan Logie also offered some perspective from sexual violence victims to proffer a ‘why’ to the bill’s intent.
There were also five new bills that achieved successful first readings. All of those bills will be asking for public input over the summer break - read here for a rundown on what they are.
The House is now adjourned until the week of Waitangi Day.
