Urgency

I move, That urgency be accorded the first reading and referral to select committee of the Immigration (Fiscal Sustainability and System Integrity) Amendment Bill and the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme—Forestry Conversion) Amendment Bill; the third reading of the Social Security (Mandatory Reviews) Amendment Bill, the Rates Rebate Amendment Bill, the Racing Industry Amendment Bill, and the Invest New Zealand Bill; the remaining stages of the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Legislation Amendment Bill and the Employment Relations (Pay Deductions for Partial Strikes) Amendment Bill; the third reading of the Victims of Sexual Violence (Strengthening Legal Protections) Legislation Bill; and the first reading and referral to select committee of the Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill.

It doesn’t give me any pleasure to move urgency today. However, we are a busy Government with a big legislative agenda. There are limited hours in ordinary House time to get things done. I would point out to the House that the Government is moving urgency not to skip select committees and, sort of, ram things through without select committee scrutiny; in fact, some of the bills that are in this motion are broadly supported across the House. It has been taken purely for the purposes of essentially extending—taking more time, going through to midnight tomorrow night, and using the mornings in order to pass some bills.

We are dealing with a couple of first readings—in fact, three first readings—and third readings, some of which have time limits on them; they need to come into force by 1 July. Or, indeed, they are Budget commitments, and they are bills that we didn’t get quite done through the post-Budget urgency stage. Some of the bills I think are quite broadly supported across the House, although it is true that there are a couple that are perhaps a bit more controversial. But this is largely an urgency motion in order to take more time. It’s not an urgency motion that I move with great pleasure, but I do commend it to the House.