Justice Minister Kiritapu Allan insists she’s still committed to introducing hate speech laws, despite delaying changes until after the election in October.
It’s been two and a half years since the Royal Commission into the March 15 Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019.
And although the Government has pledged to act on all recommendations, it still hasn’t settled hate speech laws.
Allan says she has “full confidence” the laws will land at some point.
“I'm really hoping that we will,” she told Q+A’s Jack Tame this morning.
“And I have full confidence actually that we're going to have well-thought-through, well-considered laws that will be proposed for our country.”
The original hate speech reforms were proposed by former Justice Minister Kris Faafoi.
Those proved contentious and significantly watered down when Kiritapu Allan took over the portfolio.
But then earlier this year, when the Prime Minister reprioritised the Government’s policy agenda, all of the hate speech proposals were delayed in order to be reviewed by the Law Commission.
“We're not confident that the proposals where we landed were going to be more protective than corrosive,” Allan said.
She also said the hate speech laws wouldn’t have stopped March 15 at the time it happened.
“Would hate speech laws have prevented the March 15 attacks? No, I don't think so.”
But Allan says that doesn’t mean they’re not important in protecting vulnerable and marginalised New Zealanders.
“We have to give it a real spin, let the Law Commission do their work. I want to see what they come back with because if there is a way that we can introduce laws in New Zealand that give effect to our domestic conditions that work for us, then we must be bold enough to try.”
She said that “no law is better than a bad law”.
Allan also told Q+A she would rescue herself from any potential reappointment decisions regarding Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon after 1News revealed he had donated to her electoral campaign.
“It would go to a minister who doesn't have a direct funding relationship with Meng Foon. We know with him, he's apparently made a few donations across the Political aisle, so that's ultimately a decision for him.”
She said she’s confident her conflicts of interest have been appropriately managed.
Q+A is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
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