Below the Beltway DOWN

It has been a busy week in the Beehive but who came out on top? UP ■ Parliamentary Under-Secretary Jan

Logie has been spearheading reform on domestic and sexual violence issues. She and Justice Minister

Andrew Little announced a new law to improve the court system’s response. The Sexual Violence Bill passed its first reading in Parliament on Thursday.

■ Immigration Minister Iain Lees Galloway reversed an Immigration NZ change that affected how visa applications for culturally arranged marriages were processed. The minister says he has ‘‘fixed’’ the issue to ensure people with legitimate arranged marriages can visit, while preventing any rorting of the system.

■ It was probably the biggest victory for the small ACT party when the End of Life Choice Bill, sponsored by lone ACT MP David Seymour, passed 69-51 on Wednesday evening. New Zealanders will now vote in a referendum on whether to allow the terminally ill to request assisted dying.

NZ First MP Shane Jones just can’t keep his opinions to himself these days and refuses to back down over recent outbursts. His latest rant saw him describe farmers protesting on Parliament as ‘‘rednecks’’ . It follows backlash about comments on the visa changes, where he said those in the Indian community who didn’t like the policy should go ‘‘home’’.

■ Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi has kept quiet about his intentions for a new media strategy, but was left red-faced this week when it was leaked to RNZ that a plan had been formed behind closed doors that could be the biggest shake-up in broadcasting for 30 years; that the Government was considering disestablishing both RNZ and TVNZ and creating an entirely new public media entity.

■ Police Minister Stuart Nash’s proposed Firearm Prohibition Orders (FPO) received a mixed response. Concerns were raised that the regime, aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of high-risk offenders, would impinge on human rights. The Government has issued a discussion document to find out what the public thinks.