An Epidemic Response Committee that's free of partisanship

2 April 2020 by IdeaSpies

Governance

The New Zealand government has created an Epidemic Response Committee to replace Parliament which has been shut down. One crucial feature is that the government allowed the non-government parties a majority of its members so that it could apply genuine scrutiny. The committee is chaired by the Opposition Leader.

"It's met twice and so far it seems to be doing well on two fronts," said a professor of constitutional law at New Zealand's Otago University, Andrew Geddis. "MPs haven't shied away from asking questions, so it's not a rubber stamp, and it's been free of nasty partisanship. And the opposition has been constructive, trying to make it better".

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/calls-for-greater-scrutiny-of-government-during-shutdown-20200401-p54g6m.html

What do you think?

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Comments

Julie @ 2020.04.11 9:51 PM

New Zealand seems to do the right thing without fuss.

This is a good way to keep Government of the day honest.

IdeaSpies @ 2020.04.12 5:26 AM

Australia is also doing well

https://ideaspies.com/posts/the-politics-behind-the-australian-covid-19-response

Sparty @ 2020.04.14 7:19 PM

Totalitarianism writ large. Policy behind closed doors. Where are the minutes of these meetings. Were is the public airing of debates. This is political collusion at the expense of the citizenry.

Related Posts

Governance

Australian Institute for Ethics

Australia - as with many other liberal democracies - has a problem with TRUST!Loss of trust in our institutions and their leaders continues to wear down our social fabric. Continued flagrant lying by our politicians (including Prime Ministers) is just one example of why institutional trust is at such a low ebb.For the sake of future generations, we need to reverse this situation.Establishing and broad community support for an Ethics Institute would be a significant first step in stopping the rot and re-building trust and the compact that underpins our social fabric and order.

16 February 2024 by Glenn Barnes 1 Comments

Governance

Involving the public in selecting the Australian Governor General

Constitutional Law expert and Scientia Professor George Williams has proposed another exciting idea for Australia’s governance. That is, to explore the opportunities our constitution offers and that the conventions with the Crown provide for selecting and appointing our Governor General. Prof Williams raises several interesting issues regarding the potential powers of the position and alternative ways of selecting and appointing a Governor General. Public discourse over these issues could catalyse community interest in our country’s governance and help us evaluate options for constitutional refreshment and our head of state's role, status and powers.

14 February 2024 by Glenn Barnes 2 Comments

Governance

A Mission-Led Industry Policy to Improve Productivity

"A programme of investment in the key activities and technologies of the 21st century to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss

8 February 2024 by IdeaSpies 1 Comments

Why support us financially?

"Great ideas, research and innovation can come from anyone – so often the best ideas do not have a voice. IdeaSpies provides a platform for people to share ideas that create a better world"

Sharing Ideas that Do Good