Senior Labour MP Ginny Andersen has called the Treaty Principles Bill a waste of the Government's time given the prime minister says he won't be supporting it past the first reading.
Andersen and National MP Chris Bishop joined Breakfast this morning to discuss abandoned targets for a decrease in prison population, scrapped funding for cultural reports, and the controversial Treaty Principles Bill.
Andersen referred to the Bill - which will be introduced as part of ACT's coalition agreement with National - as “divisive” and a waste of resources.
"I think most New Zealanders I speak to are sick and tired of this taking up time and resources when Christopher Luxon has confirmed it has no hope of seeking and receiving a second reading," said Andersen.
"It is increasing division and argument in New Zealand is unnecessary as the Prime Minister said it is not going to proceed."
But Bishop said it was part and parcel of the coalition agreement the National Party has with the Act Party.
"National didn’t get the votes to govern by itself. We have to rely on New Zealand First and Act to govern… David [Seymour] has a strong alongside his ACT colleagues view on this on this piece of legislation, and National has an equally strong view.
"We reached a kind of compromise position where the bill will be introduced and go to a committee and see discussion. Some of that will be a bit edgy and some people won’t like it necessarily but that’s democracy."
Bishop added there could be value in debate and bills being taken to the submission stage but admitted a referendum would be divisive and suggested Seymour was an "eternal optimist" which is "why a lot of people like him".
“If you like him so much, you should ask him to stop his bill,” Andersen said.
Crime and justice measures
Yesterday, the Prime Minister also announced the Government would be scrapping prison population reduction targets, and said it would be "putting victims first".
Also announced was the scrapping of Government funding for cultural reports.
National MP Chris Bishop told Breakfast the reports had turned into a "cottage industry" and the Government should not be paying for them.
"Harry Tam from the Mongrel Mob does dozens of cultural reports. We don’t think taxpayers should be funding them," Bishop said.
Meanwhile, Andersen said the reports were important to prevent reoffending, and for the rights of the victim.
"The victim also gets a pathway of getting their views into the courtroom. While National talks about empowering victims and victims rights, taking away these is actually doing the opposite."
Andersen said the homicide rate in New Zealand "doubled" over Christmas, and the scrapping of these initiatives will not help the crime rate.
Meanwhile Bishop said the Government has been in power for "50 days" and suggested the high crime rate was due to the last Government.
"I can’t be held responsible for things that happened in the last six years, Ginny, I wasn’t in Government," Bishop said.
Andersen responded that National didn’t fund frontline services, and while Labour increased the funding to police by 50%, National wanted to cut about "6.5%" of funding from police, justice, and courts.
But Bishop said the Government planned to do more than scrap these initiatives to address crime.
"We have a suite of initiatives coming."
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