Media Release
No Blackmail Over Business Law Reform
New Zealand First has refused to bow down to the threat from the Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel “to expose” New
Zealand First’s refusal to accept a Business Law Reform Bill incorporating six or seven legislative items.
MP Dail Jones says that the Party will stand by its decision to oppose such a Bill. The Business Law Reform process has
failed previously and delayed legislation to the detriment of the business community and society generally. Seven pieces
of legislation take seven times longer than one piece of legislation.
“The 1999 Business Law Reform Bill was a fiasco. First reading 27 July 1999. Second reading 5 October 1999. Report
considered 7 November 2000. Committal 4 April 2001. Assent May 2001.
“Straight forward individual Bills could proceed three times as promptly.
“Parliamentary tactics by the minority Labour government such as the introduction of the Business Law Reform Bill enable
it to get on with its agenda to increase compliance costs, increase taxes to businesses, continue with its politically
correct programme and anti business legislation.
“Examples are the increased import duties in the Customs and Excise legislation, increased Court fees, increased Birth
Deaths and Marriages fees, increased Compliance costs under the Kyoto Climate Change legislation, the politically
correct provisions of the Television Bill, compliance costs under the Local Government Bill, anti-business legislation
such as the Supreme Court Bill, Smoke-Free Environments Bill, Consumer Credit legislation, Holidays Bill, Land Transport
Management, Road Traffic Reduction Bill and the Taxation Bill.”
Mr Jones said that if the Government was serious about supporting business it would not introduce legislation that was
detrimental to business in the first place and more time would then be available for straight forward legislation of a
machinery nature.
ENDS