ACT Pays Tribute To Allan Peachey
ACT Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen today paid tribute to Allan Peachey on news of Mr Peachey’s upcoming retirement.
“Allan Peachey was one of New Zealand’s leading educators before coming to Parliament, serving most recently as Principal of Rangitoto College. He worked hard for his students and he worked hard for the people of Tamaki,” Mr Boscawen said.
“I, and my colleagues, always enjoyed working with Allan. He ably helped shepherd Heather Roy’s, and for a time Sir Roger Douglas’, Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill through the Education and Science Select Committee.
“We in the ACT Party wish him well for his treatment and recovery. His contribution to the House will be missed” Mr Boscawen said.
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NZ Super Unaffordable - Credit Agency Not Fooled By National’s Claims
New Zealand’s credit downgrade stems from National’s failure to make the hard decisions; one of which is the growing unaffordability of superannuation, ACT New Zealand Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen said today.
“Standard & Poor’s specifically cited ‘emerging fiscal pressures associated with …[New Zealand’s] aging population’ as one of the factors that led to our downgrade,” Mr Boscawen said.
“This agency joins the growing list of people and organisations, like Retirement Commissioner Diana Crossan, that believe the NZ Super scheme is unaffordable, and confirms what the ACT Party has been saying all along.
“Ms Crossan recommends raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 over a period of 13 years. This is hardly an extreme policy and would give New Zealanders time to adapt and plan for the change. Rather than take a sensible approach, National’s refusal to address this issue means that all New Zealanders will be in for a short sharp shock in the future.
“The truth is, unless changes are made, superannuation costs will double in the next decade. It’s simply baffling that National continue to claim that it is affordable – as Prime Minister John Key did today – when an international credit agency can see right through these hollow statements,” Mr Boscawen said.
Labour’s complaint a diversion tactic
Labour’s claim that Prime Minister John Key has breached the electoral laws is a childish stunt to try and divert attention from their frequent and serious breaches of the rules, ACT New Zealand Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen said today
The Labour Party has filed a complaint with the Electoral Commission arguing that the National Party broke the law when John Key hosted a one hour segment on Radio Live. Labour claims the show constitutes an unauthorised election advertisement despite National following the Commission’s recommendation not to discuss politics.
“It’s a bit rich for Labour to be pointing the finger as their approach to the electoral law has been one of complete arrogance. Their actions show that they believe the law applies to everyone but themselves,” Mr Boscawen said.
“Just last week the Auckland Central candidate, Jacinda Ardern, deliberately ignored official advice from the Auckland City Council, putting up her billboards too early and making them too large. This is just one in a long list of breaches for Labour which includes being referred to the police when they sent out thousands of flyers without correct authorisation statements on them and again when their campaign signs were found to breach the law for the exact same reason.
“Labour’s breaches have been serious and frequent - at best showing a complete ignorance of the rules or at worst a deliberate disregard for the law. However, rather than being contrite over their law-breaking Labour MP Damien O’Connor instead attacked the Electoral Commission saying ‘the EC needs to pull their heads in. This is not the 1930s in Europe.’
“The ACT Party has long campaigned against the over-prescriptive law because it hinders freedom of speech and is too complicated. However, given that it is the law, all Parties should seek to stay within the rules and this is particularly true of the major parties that should be setting the example. Labour should be embarrassed,” Mr Boscawen said.
Boscawen Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election On ACT Party List
ACT Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen today announced that he has decided not to seek re-election on the ACT Party list and expects to retire from Parliament following the November 26 election.
“I feel incredibly privileged to have been a Member of Parliament over the past three years, serving on a number of Select Committees, holding the positions of Minister of Consumer Affairs and Associate Minister of Commerce and most recently, becoming the third Parliamentary Leader of the ACT Party,” Mr Boscawen said.
“I was also proud to have been in Parliament to vote for the repeal of Labour’s Electoral Finance Act, having previously organised public protests against it.
“It was an incredibly hard decision not to seek re-election because I believe it is vital for the future of New Zealand that ACT is successful on election day. However, being a Member of Parliament can be extremely demanding and time-consuming, and I haven’t been able to give my family as much time as they deserve.
“After much consideration, I’ve decided that my family must come first. However, I will continue to stand as ACT’s candidate in the Tamaki electorate to do everything I can to help ACT win as many party votes as possible.”
ACT Party Leader Don Brash said he was extremely sorry Mr Boscawen was stepping down from the ACT Party list but said he totally understood his colleague’s reasons.
“John is a person who is not willing to give less than 100 per cent of his time to the job, and he now feels he needs to devote the same level of commitment to his family,” Dr Brash said.
“John is known as one of the hardest working MPs in Parliament. He has earned the respect of politicians from across the political spectrum for his work ethic, his integrity and his absolute commitment to his role as an MP.
“I know John has been tremendously proud to serve his country, so I know he has not taken this decision lightly.
“He has done an extraordinary job over the past three years, advancing ACT’s principles and pursuing his portfolio responsibilities with a level of passion and commitment that is quite exceptional.
“I’m very pleased that John is going to be campaigning with us up until the election. That will be a huge asset, and I know he will continue to be a great supporter of ACT in the future.”
Mr Boscawen said he wanted to thank all of his caucus colleagues for the support they have given him in Parliament, especially since he became Parliamentary Leader.
“In particular, I would like to acknowledge Sir Roger Douglas, who so strongly encouraged me to stand for ACT in the first place, and Rodney Hide, who has given me invaluable support and assistance throughout my parliamentary career.
“I wish Don Brash, John Banks, and the rest of the ACT team every success in the election and I intend to work hard to help them achieve that success by campaigning for the Party vote in Tamaki. I plan to remain very active in the Party beyond the election,” Mr Boscawen said.
The ACT Party board will meet next Saturday to make a decision on how this will affect other list rankings.
ACT To Support Surveillance Legislation To Select Committee
ACT Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen today confirmed the ACT Party will support the Government’s legislation to address police surveillance activity to an urgent Select Committee Hearing.
“This is an important piece of legislation and we would like the matter dealt with before Parliament rises,” Mr Boscawen said.
“While we do not want to prejudice outcomes of the Select Committee hearings, we believe police need the support and tools to investigate serious crime in New Zealand. The Supreme Court has raised concerns over whether police surveillance operations are lawful and we would like to see this issue addressed.
“We think it is important to subject this Bill to public scrutiny and allow Parliament the opportunity to hear from experts in the field and from the Police Association on the matter.
“It is for these reasons that the ACT Party will support the legislation through its first reading,” Mr Boscawen said.
ACT To Support Amended Criminal Procedure Bill
ACT Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen today confirmed he had negotiated from the Government major changes in the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill that would mean the continued protection of rights and freedoms that New Zealanders have held dear for generations.
“I had fundamental objections to the Bill but after successful negotiations with Justice Minister Simon Power all my objections have now been addressed,” Mr Boscawen said.
The concessions won from the Government include:
• Protection of the citizens’ right to silence and protection of the presumption of innocence where the citizen faces prosecution
• Abandonment of the proposition that government appointees would have the future power to take these rights away
• Continued protection of the defendant’s right not to be tried in absentia where he or she has reasonable excuse for not being present
• Preservation of the right to trial by jury in matters having a jail term of two years or more such as child smacking cases
• Retention of provisions that provide that convictions will not stand where there has been a miscarriage of justice, rather than the Government proposal that this test be raised to the level of proving a ‘substantial’ miscarriage of justice.
“I applaud Justice Minister Simon Power for his hard work and willingness to negotiate which now sees the Bill strike the right balance between administrative efficiency and individual rights integral to well-functioning justice system.
“The changes we have agreed to mean that basic fundamental rights and freedoms will continue to have legislative respect and that the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act will remain a document of integrity,” Mr Boscawen said.
ETS: Just Scrap It
ACT New Zealand Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen today called on the Government to drop the pretence and scrap the Emissions Trading Scheme altogether after the ETS Review Panel report recommended delaying the introduction of the energy, transport, industrial and agricultural sectors into the scheme.
“Today’s report confirms what ACT has been saying all along; the ETS is a disaster and should be scrapped. The Government has realised that by including all gases and all sectors in the ETS we are in a lonely club of one, so has backtracked and delayed subsequent stages of the scheme,” Mr Boscawen said.
“Despite the concessions likely to arise from today’s report the ETS is still harming New Zealand households and strangling our economy. New Zealanders are paying an extra four cents a litre for petrol and an extra five percent for electricity, all to subsidise the private planting of new forests.
“Farmers and businesses also face enormous costs with dairy farmers paying $3,900 a year through higher electricity and processing costs and beef and wool farms paying an extra $1,000 a year.
“The report today does a great job of highlighting the scheme’s flaws but does little to remedy them. Instead of delaying the inevitable the Government should have the courage of its convictions and do what ACT has called for all along – scrap the ETS,” Mr Boscawen said.
ACT Calls For Child Abuse To Become Strike Offence
ACT New Zealand Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen today condemned the Government’s weak response to child abuse after it voted against his amendment to the Crimes Amendment (No 2) Bill to make abuse of a child a ‘strike’ offence under ACT’s ‘three strikes’ provisions in the Sentencing Act 2002.
“My Supplementary Order Paper would have amended the Crimes Amendment (No 2) Bill so that ill-treatment or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult was considered a serious violent offence or a ‘strike’ offence. This would mean tougher penalties for child abusers,” Mr Boscawen said.
“The Bill doubles the penalty for ill-treatment of a child from 5 to 10 years. This is a step in the right direction but it’s not enough. By making child abuse a ‘strike’ offence my amendment would have ensured that repeat offenders would spend more time behind bars.
“Under the ‘three strikes’ regime that ACT implemented as part of its confidence and supply agreement, an offender receives a warning from the judge for their first ‘strike’ offence, the maximum court imposed sentence for their second ‘strike’ and the maximum possible sentence for their third ‘strike’ – with no possibility of parole. The ‘three strikes’ regime deliberately escalates the penalty for repeat violent offenders.
“ACT has always campaigned to keep citizens safe and to get tough on violent crime. If the Government had supported my amendment child abuse would have been added to the list of offences that New Zealand has zero tolerance for. Sadly this was an opportunity missed,” Mr Boscawen said.
ACT’s education policy would see needs of Pasifika students met
The observation by Holy Family School Principal Karl Vasau on Radio New Zealand National’s Morning Report programme that the academic achievement of Pasifika students would be improved if their cultural background is incorporated into teaching shows why ACT’s education policy would be great for students, ACT New Zealand Education Spokesman John Boscawen said today.
“Students are not all the same, each having their own interests, strengths and backgrounds. The current education system doesn’t recognise this and instead utilises a one-size-fits-all model, to the detriment of many of our children,” Mr Boscawen said.
“If we are going to lift the achievement of all our students - including the one in five who currently leave school functionally illiterate - we need to have a system which caters to student’s needs rather than forcing students to fit into the system.
ACT’s school choice policy will allow this to happen. Under ACT’s policy state funding will follow the child no matter whether they go to a public, integrated or private school. That means parents will be able to afford to send their children to a greater range of schools and more specialised schools will be set up.
“If ACT’s school choice policy is introduced, Mr Vasau’s vision for schools that focus on Pacific Island students’ needs will become a reality, as will schools that cater to other students’ needs,” Mr Boscawen said
Kiwis Don’t Trust Government on Super
A UMR poll showing the majority of Kiwis favour compulsory Kiwisaver is proof that the public does not buy the Government’s message that current superannuation entitlements are sustainable, ACT New Zealand Parliamentary Leader John Boscawen said today.
“Kiwis know that superannuation in its current form will become unaffordable. Today’s poll proves that most people see the situation as so dire that compulsory Kiwisaver will be needed if retirees are to have enough to live on,” Mr Boscawen said.
“The number of workers per retiree is projected to fall from 4.5 to 2.2 by the year 2033. It is clear that superannuation will become unaffordable unless changed and today’s poll shows that the public can see this.
“Superannuation faces many challenges over the coming decades. There is no silver bullet but committing to increase the retirement age over time is a fair solution and one which the Government should not bury its head in the sand over,” Mr Boscawen said.
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