Business Statement

Next week the House will go into a 1-week adjournment. When the House returns on Tuesday, 16 March, priority will be given to the third reading of the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill and the remaining stages of the Resource Management (Aquaculture Moratorium Extension) Amendment Bill, to the Fisheries Amendment Bill (No 2), and to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Transitional Provisions and Controls) Amendment Bill. I will be seeking the support of all parties to take through all stages quickly a Tax Administration Act amendment bill that will enable the Inland Revenue Department to react positively to the situation in flood-affected areas.

Noting that the progress on the Government’s legislation in the last 4 weeks has been particularly slow, can members expect a long dose of urgency at some stage during the next parliamentary session, and would the Leader of the House be able to indicate whether he would have support for that urgency to go beyond the standard 6 o’clock on Friday night?

I think reasonable progress has been made in the last 4 weeks without any urgency, but the Government has a very busy programme coming up in the next 4-week session, so members can anticipate the probability of some urgency in the third week of that session, with the intention being to lift the House by 6 o’clock on Friday.