United Future prove they are Labour's lapdogs over marriage bill

Rodney Hide Wednesday, 27 July 2005

ACT Leader Rodney Hide said today he was astonished that United Future's Larry Baldock had pulled his Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill.

"United Future have been campaigning up hill and down dale on the Bill.

"ACT had determined to support it to the select committee stage.

"It was clear that there were numbers in Parliament for the Bill to pass the first hurdle and be sent to select committee.

"The Bill's success would have been a huge embarrassment to Helen Clark and the Labour Party and so astonishingly United Future pulled their own Bill despite campaigning on it.

"Here is a party that single handedly had defeated their own policy.

"It is clear that a deal has been done between Labour and United Future for after the election and Peter Dunne didn't want to rock the boat.

"Peter Dunne should come clean and tell his own party and New Zealand voters what ministerial post he gave the Marriage Amendment Bill away to get," Mr Hide said.

ENDS

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