Bill erodes fundamental civil liberty
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Jun 02 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Bill erodes fundamental civil liberty
Wednesday, 2 June 2010, 9:48 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
**Bill erodes fundamental civil liberty
**
National is set on denying accused Kiwis the fundamental right to attend their own court hearings, says Labour’s Shadow Attorney-General David Parker.
David Parker said that Labour, which has tabled a minority report following Justice and Electoral Select Committee hearings on the Courts (Remote Participation) Bill, will oppose the bill as a whole because it denies a fundamental civil liberty.
“While Labour agrees that some preliminary hearings, such as remands, can sometimes be held by audio visual conference without prejudicing the accused, we are strongly opposed to rights of the accused being eroded in substantive hearings.”
David Parker said Labour strongly endorsed submissions by the New Zealand Law Society and Human Rights Commission. “We agree that this legislation represents a serious incursion on the civil liberties and protection all New Zealanders currently have to defend themselves against the action of the State.
“There is no evidence of trials being frustrated by current rules, so there is no need to take such a fundamental right away from accused people. An accused person should have the right to attend their own trial.”
David Parker said the Bill continued a pattern of National putting forward unprincipled, unconstitutional or inappropriate legislation whenever it suited them.
“How many times have we seen it now? In this case, the Attorney-General has been sidelined even though under the Bill of Rights Act incursions into civil liberties like this are meant to be reported on.
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“In the three strikes legislation, the Ministry of Justice was sidelined, even though clearly it should have been the government department responsible for giving advice to the select committee,” David Parker said.
“The undemocratic Environment Canterbury legislation, passed under urgency, without any public process, undermines protection provided by Water Conservation Orders for waters of ‘outstanding amenity or intrinsic values’.
“And the Auckland Super City has developed into a saga where the last people who seem to count are Aucklanders themselves.
“All these are examples of an arrogant government happy to run rampant over the rights of Kiwis. This latest example is unprincipled and unjustified.”
ENDS
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