Barclay’s vote critical to passing Govt’s bills
WELLINGTON: The Nationalled Government would be unable to pass three pieces of legislation including major Child, Youth and Family reforms if MP Todd Barclay had been sacked immediately, the Labour Party says.
Mr Barclay announced last week he would quit politics at the election in September after a secret recording scandal, and Labour leader Andrew Little said he was being kept in Parlia ment only to preserve
National’s majority.
Without his vote, the
National Party would need support from two out of three of its coalition partners to pass legislation.
Labour said there were three Bills before Parliament which were either opposed by the Maori Party or by both Act New Zealand and United Future, meaning they would not progress without Mr Barclay’s vote.
The Bills included National’s major reforms of Child, Youth and Family (CYF).
Little said National’s majority was resting on an MP who had recorded his staff and refused to cooperate with police.
Mr Barclay declined to be interviewed by police during an investigation last year which stemmed from a complaint by the CluthaSouthland MP’s former staffer Glenys Dickson.
Newsroom reported last week that a National board member warned Ms Dickson to withdraw a police complaint against the MP because ‘‘if National didn’t have Barclay in Parliament they were one short to pass legislation’’.
The police investigation was closed after 10 months with no action taken. It was reopened by police this week to check whether new evidence had an impact.
Prime Minister Bill English said it was up to Mr Barclay whether he wanted to remain as an MP while the investigation was taking place.
If charged with making an illegal recording, Mr Barclay would be forced to leave Parliament because it was punishable by up to two years’ jail — the threshold at which MPs must resign.
Police could not give a timeframe for the new investigation or say if it would be completed before the September election.
The three Bills highlighted by Labour are set to be passed into law in the next six weeks.
Labour also said six Bills which hinged on Mr Barclay’s vote had passed since Mr English was alerted to the fact that Mr Barclay recorded a staff member.
They included the legislation required to implement the Trans Pacific Partnership. — NZME