Bill English MP
National Party Deputy Leader

23 August 2007

English puts electoral questions on notice

National Party Deputy Leader Bill English has today taken the unusual step of releasing in advance the questions he intends asking in Parliament this afternoon about Labour’s position on electoral reform.

“For days now, Mark Burton has been unable to answer my questions on the Electoral Finance Bill. Because I wish to hear sensible answers, I am taking the unusual step of releasing some of the questions I intend to ask this afternoon.”

Mr English says this gives Mr Burton several hours to think about his answers, and seek advice from officials who “hopefully will know more about his bill than he does”.

Mr English says his primary question will be: Does he stand by his statement that the Electoral Finance Bill "will help promote participation in parliamentary democracy"; if so, why?
Mr English says the other questions he intends asking today will include:

- Is it Government policy that a political journalist's blog, published on a commercial website but not in any newspaper, should be considered election advertising; if not, why is such a blog captured by the bill's definition of election advertising?

- Is it Government policy that if a political party is found to have exceeded its election spending cap, that party should not face any penalities or have to pay any money in fines or repayments; if not, why does the bill only impose penalties on one person - the party's financial agent?

- Is it Government policy that a pledge card from a party represented in Parliament, paid for by taxpayers through the parliamentary leader's fund, should not count towards that party's election spending cap; if not, why does the bill specifically exclude any publications that relate to a member of Parliament in his or her capacity as a member of Parliament?

ENDS

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