Hillary Clinton sponsored the US Plain Writing Act of 2010; New Zealand’s own plain language bill awaits a champion in Parliament

The US passed The Plain Writing Act of 2010 on 13 October, 2010, and New Zealand’s Plain English Power has drafted an equivalent Bill.

The US Plain Writing Act has had the support of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton since 2008, when they were mere Senators. It is now in the final committee stages.

By contrast, New Zealand’s Plain Language Act still awaits a champion in Parliament.

The US Act requires the federal government to write all new publications, forms, and publicly distributed documents in a “clear, concise, well-organized” manner.

The New Zealand bill has a very similar purpose, but is yet to get over the first hurdle.

“Where is our hero of clarity? This Bill would cost virtually nothing, save money, and please almost everyone,” says Plain English Power chair, Rachel McAlpine.

The New Zealand lobby group advocates the use of plain English in official documents and web sites. Members believe that comprehensible information from government is a basic democratic right.

They want to make plain English the standard for all New Zealand contracts and consumer information. They especially want plain English in all communications from government agencies to the public.

“Plain English Power members could hardly be more widely representative,” said McAlpine. “They range from the Business Round Table and Consumer New Zealand to the Child Poverty Action Group. We all want government information to be intelligible. And so do most government employees, for that matter: they need support, that's all.”

More information on the Plain English Power web site: www.plainenglish.org.nz

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