Self-interested politicians shouldn't write their own rules

The public will not have confidence in the Government's new election donation and spending laws if they are shaped in secret deals behind closed doors, says the Coalition for Open Government.

Spokesperson Steven Price says it's disappointing to see such an important issue descending into self-interested horse-trading before the legislation has even been seen by the public.

"There is a reason why New Zealand has some of the worst election donation laws in the western world. It is because they were decided by the same politicians whom the laws were supposed to control. We need to do better this time.

"All political parties have an interest in seeing funding rules that favour them and their supporters over their opponents. Some parties may want to change the system to give themselves advantage and others may want to maintain laws that already unfairly advantage them. People with so direct an interest in the outcome shouldn't be writing the rules.

"We don't let convicts draft the criminals laws, or corporations write the company tax rules and we shouldn't let politicians decide how best to run elections.

"When New Zealand adopted MMP it did so following the independent investigation of a Royal Commission. Time is more pressing on campaign reform but New Zealanders deserve better than back-room deals reached without broad support or public input.

"The Government may have left it too late for a full Royal Commission to cover the raft of areas in need of reform before the next election, but it should seek urgent recommendations from an independent commission, such as the Law Commission or the Electoral Commission, on its more contentious proposals.

"After a series of dodgy financial issues in the 2005 election, the public can only have confidence in new laws written in an open and impartial way."

ENDS

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