Greens allow split vote on online speech bill
The Greens will split their vote on the Harmful Digital Communications Bill.
Update: The Bill has passed.
Social issues
law
Australia where the bloody hell are you on gay marriage?
Following on from New Zealand, Ireland and many other states the United States Supreme Court has recently ruled that banning same sex marriages is a breach of the 14th amendment’s right to life and liberty. It makes you wonder when Australia is going to institute change.
Only ACT standing up for free speech?
ACT has withdrawn support for the Harmful Digital Communications Bill. Bravo. Labour, Greens – where do you stand on this badly drafted and damaging bill?
Government buys a fight with iwi
The Nats seem determined to buy a fight with iwi over Auckland land, practically challenging them to court action. Do they really think this is going to end well for them?
Geddis on Auckland housing land
Yesterday we covered National’s blunder in not considering Treaty settlement obligations in its plans to free up state land for Auckland housing. Today you can read someone who actually knows what they’re talking about on the issue, check out Professor Geddis’ piece at Pundit.
NRT: Rubberstamping surveillance
I/S at No Right Turn on the “poor job the courts are doing of overseeing surveillance”.
Banks let down by the Crown (but not the judiciary)
I support any decision he makes to lay a complaint with the NZ Law Society against the taxpayer funded prosecutor/s who made the decision to breach their obligation to the Court and to hold the AG’s feet to the fire regarding a rigorous investigation of the withholding of the memorandum.
TPPA and sovereignty
Grosser has confirmed that the TPPA (if it ever happens) will contain “ISDS” provisions that could limit the scope of our sovereignty by allowing foreign corporations to sue NZ.
Dotcom’s open letter to Banks
Last night Kim Dotcom released an open letter to John Banks.
McCready back again on Key’s harassment
I’m all in favour of holding Key accountable for his actions in general, but not when the victim herself has asked McCready to desist. McCready should respect her wishes.
McCready case thrown out
Given that Amanda Bailey asked McCready to withdraw his case, this is good news.
NSA bulk collection ruled illegal
In the US a federal appeals court has just ruled the NSA’s bulk collection of phone records is illegal.
Prosecuting Key
Very wise of Bailey to dissociate herself from McCready, and make her own decisions about prosecuting Key.
(Image from Emmerson in The Herald)
NRT: National wants to jail people who expose politicians
Interesting post from I/S at No Right Turn on the Harmful Digital Communications Bill.
Spot the difference: Nats on capital punishment
One of these principled statements is not like the other.
I Fought the Law
A quick look at the legalities of Ponytailgate as it affects the worker, the cafe, the NZ Herald and the PM. There could be court, tribunal and commission hearings that drag on for months, with potential big financial and political implications for the players.
A police investigation – Part One
There’s nothing particularly wrong with Bryce Edwards’ article except that it ignores how National Ltd™ Police Ministers have successively sat by and done nothing in response to the on-going police failings.
Blogger on breaching name suppression charges gets name suppression
A blogger charged with breaching suppression orders protecting the names of others has obtained interim name suppression. This is not a joke …
Governments protecting paedophiles
Last week National shut down Peters’ attempt to introduce a Bill on paedophile name suppression. Presumably this was out of petty spite at Peters’ Northland victory, but in the context of the Thatcher revelations this was surely an issue that would have been worth debating.
Planet Key
Turns out that “Planet Key” is not an election advertisement after all.
Second “Roast Busters” report released
There are many failings outlined. Police were found to have largely treated women and girls with respect and compassion but their investigations were not robust or thorough, inadequate follow-up enquiries…
Kathryn Ryan – Let the man talk!
One of my real pet peeves is interviewers who don’t let incredibly knowledgeable people speak to the topic on which they have been invited. Today Judge Peter Boshier was being interviewed by Kathryn Ryan in his capacity as a Law Commissioner.
Nats bungle Bain process
A new review of compensation for David Bain. Another fine mess courtesy of Collins/Slater and National.
Aussies & US mount opposition to TPPA – but in NZ we just keep nodding
So much to sell, so little time… When this Government is finished selling, we will have sold our right to make laws for ourselves too. Be under no doubt, if the effect of bringing in a law for the health and well being of Kiwis will cost a corporate millions of dollars, part of their lobbying after the TPP, will be threatening to sue the taxpayers of NZ and watch such a Bill slip into obscurity. And those corporates wielding that power? Most will never pay a cent of tax into the coffers of NZ taxpayers.
NRT: Parliamentary Privilege vs Suppression Orders
I/S at No Right Turn on the most interesting event at the first session of Parliament for 2015. The Speaker’s actions open up an interesting can of legal worms…
Tino Rangatiratanga
It has been claimed that Andrew Little has advocated for Maori to have law making powers. What he has done is reflect on a recent Waitangi Tribunal decision which concluded that Maori never ceded sovereignty to the Crown and properly concluded that this is an issue that needs to be considered.
NRT: An untenable position
I/S at No Right Turn on the Mike Sabin situation. “For the sake of propriety and the integrity of our justice system, Sabin must be stood down”…
NRT: Our financial laws mean nothing
I/S – “the Financial Markets Authority knew about almost 4,000 crimes and never bothered to prosecute any of them”…
GCSB Head, Ian Fletcher resigns
For family reasons he is stepping down… Nothing to see here says Chris Finlayson, great guy who did a great job. For national’s supporters of course there is far more importance in receiving speeding fines Woodhouse is moving quickly to say the enforcement is ambiguous. It appears that he sees a universal right to speed and kill people…
NRT: Abuse of power: The OIA / public records dimension
Jason Ede deleted his personal emails. Some of those emails concerned ministerial business and should therefore are public records. There is a fine of $5000 per email destroyed. Similarly the SIS was illegally refusing media requests that are OIAs. All as dodgy as hell. Time to charge some people violating public information acts?
Roger Sutton needs the book thrown at him
I have no real opinion about the details of the complaint against Roger Sutton, there simply isn’t enough information in the context. That would require seeing the report. However I do have strong opinion about someone who breaks the confidentiality clauses of any agreement. Throw the book at them
NRT: Long past time
How long has it been since homosexuality as a crime was removed from the the law books? It passed into law on the 8th of August 1986. The government is finally considering wiping past convictions under the strange previous laws. It is an action that is more than 18 years overdue.
Roast busters – not prosecuted?
Slater sued
Radio NZ has a post up “Tribunal hears blogger privacy case”. A prosecution of Cameron Slater under the Privacy Act for breaching Matthew Blomfields privacy. I suspect that over the next 3-4 days Slater will ponce around acting out courtroom fantasies that have little to do with the law. And will probably get hammered. Good. (Updated)
Emmerson – The bloodsucker’s treat
Collective bargaining? Yeah right …
JAmooches continues their analysis of the effects of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. Today the focus is on the provisions that negate the requirement for the parties to act in good faith bargaining, in particular for being able to conclude collective agreements.