4 February 2005
Grant Gillon, Progressive Party president
MMP democracy is working well
New Zealand has the most representative and transparent Parliamentary democracy among the English-speaking countries
such as Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S., says Progressive Party president Grant Gillon.
"What the voting record shows is that our minority coalition government, with just 53 of the 120 seats, has gone to
extraordinary lengths to reach out and build very broad-based consensus among opposition parties to advance our
legislation.
"Of the 100 or so non-Budget and non-Confidence related contested laws that have been enacted since the July 2002
election, over 80% have secured the support of more than one Opposition party even though Labour-Progressive legislation
in fact only requires one non-government party's support to be successful.
"That is a tribute to the success of the coalition government's democratic engagement with Parliament and also a sign
that all parties in Parliament are to various degrees participating in putting together better laws for New Zealand, and
in a way that the voting public can see and measure," Grant Gillon said.
"It isn't like that in other English-speaking Parliaments, it isn't anything like that.
"In the United States' House of Representatives, two parties totally dominate. Two-party limited democracy also rules
the roost to varying degrees in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia," Grant Gillon said.
For full voting record see: http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News=article=1484
ENDS