Speaker’s Rulings — Electoral Act—Registration and Recognition of United Future

Honourable members, on 13 August 2013 the Electoral Commission determined that the United Future party be registered in accordance with section 67 of the Electoral Act 1993, following the cancellation of its registration on 31 May 2013. Standing Order 34(1) provides that every party that is registered under Part 4 of the Electoral Act and in whose interest a member was elected at the preceding election is entitled to be recognised as a party for parliamentary purposes. The United Future party is a registered party. It remains a party in whose name a member was elected at the 2011 general election. It meets the requirements for recognition. Furthermore, the Electoral Commission advises that it did not treat United Future’s application for registration as an application from a new party. The party did not cease to exist when its registration was cancelled.

However, in recognising a party, I am not concerned with the general membership of political parties and whether that has changed; I am concerned only with the parliamentary membership of the party. The Hon Peter Dunne was a member of the United Future party at the 2011 general election. He remained a member of that party despite being declared an independent member for parliamentary purposes. The parliamentary membership of the United Future party has not changed. Therefore, now that the United Future party is again a registered party, it will from today again be recognised as a party for parliamentary purposes.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Could I ask you as to whether or not you have considered the letter I wrote to you that related to your last judgment in the House on the question that you have just covered now? If you recall, I asked you to outline for me the legal authority that you thought you would be acting under. I am still waiting for that reply.

I can advise the right honourable member that I certainly have considered that letter and considered it carefully in reaching the decision I made earlier in regard to the United Future party, and certainly in the decision I am again making today.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I gather that what you have said relates to recognition in the House. It goes now to the question of taxpayer support for the United Future party, which you have readmitted. The question is what is your answer on that issue, which is why I wrote to you in the first place?

Yes, well, the Clerk has advised me that you actually wrote two letters to me and both letters have been replied to. But in regard to the continued support for the United Future party, my decision stands from today. From today, United Future is again recognised as a parliamentary party.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am asking you about the question of parliamentary support. Are you saying that your announcement today means that what was the pre-existing situation, before all this arose, has now been restored, as to parliamentary support as well—financially, that is?

Has the member finished?

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: Yes.

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.