Urgent Debates Declined — Pansy Wong—Outcome of Ministerial Resignation

I have received a letter from the Hon Darren Hughes seeking to debate under Standing Order 380 the decision of the Prime Minister not to reappoint Pansy Wong as Minister for Ethnic Affairs and Minister of Women’s Affairs. The absence of action on the part of a Minister or the Government is not a particular case of recent occurrence that can be raised under Standing Order 380. Furthermore, on 16 November I declined to accept an application for an urgent debate on the resignation of Pansy Wong as a Minister on the grounds that the issues that led to her resignation were not ones to which ministerial responsibility attached. That situation has not changed. The application is therefore declined.