Real Political Power

The second major choice that faces New Zealanders is to decide where real political power should lie. There is a very strong tradition of independence in New Zealand, of local decision making, and local power. Yet, we seem to have come to a point in our history where that tradition is in danger of being swept away and crushed under the juggernaut of central government.

Parliament is increasingly irrelevant and impotent. The rule of the courts, and the rule of law, are being overturned at the whim of the governing Cabinet. Local Government and local control, is being ground down by the growing central government regulation. Most important, the individual and the small group are increasingly powerless in putting their point of view and in having any influence on decision making.

That shift in power, because that's what it is, is not just an academic thing. It is affecting the lifestyle and the basic freedoms and responsibilities of all of us. Unless that balance is changed, we will have allowed the heart of the open democracy that generations of New Zealanders fought for, to slip away through sheer apathy.

There are a number of practical reforms that a political Party can offer in order to help correct that situation. The Labour Party is going into this election with a very comprehansive platform of reforms in this area. We propose to reform Parliament, to make it more relevant, and more useful. We propose to reform the select committee system to ensure that any legislation is fully presented in open hearings before the public, before final decisions are made.

We will be passing a Freedom of Information Act and repealing sections of the Official Secrets Act, to try and open out much of the day to day decisions of Government, as they affect individual lives. We will be placing all legislation and all regulations under periodic review, so that outdated old laws and red tape don't molder on, long after they have ceased to have any purpose at all.

All those reforms will go a long way towards giving the individual back some real voice in what goes on. Certainly, they will make it a great deal harder for any Government to hide behind walls of secrecy.