The Government is showing a lack of transparency and accountability in its rush to change COVID-19 laws, says Transporting New Zealand.
The organisation has submitted on the COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill (No 2) which extends the Government’s existing powers until May 2023.
The bill was introduced to Parliament by COVID-19 response minister Chris Hipkins on September 29 and was put through its first reading under urgency.
Extending the term of the act means that the Government can continue to use tools such as alert levels and border control measures.
Among a number of changes, it proposes to introduce tougher penalties with fines for breaching COVID-19 orders going from $4000 to $12,000. It will also introduce minimum standards for testing providers and requires people undertaking MIQ to provide contact information for invoicing purposes.
Transporting NZ chief executive Nick Leggett says he’s concerned the Government has “taken the approach of rushing through a broadening and expansion of ministerial powers as it grapples with a response to COVID-19”.
“They did the same with immigration powers in May this year, which we also objected to.
“As we said then, far-reaching ministerial powers should only be considered appropriate, or necessary, in a true emergency situation.
“The ‘state of emergency’ that filled the early months of the pandemic response early last year should be well over by now,” he says.
“Like the rest of the world, we should be given confidence in the strength of vaccination, COVID-19 treatments, rapid testing, vaccination certificates, face masks and other mitigating measures.
“This bill however, suggests an unclear response or plan; the debacle that is MIQ for years to come; and a move away from the way the rest of the world is now headed.
“As the pandemic will be with us for years, there has to be a move back to normality, rather than fostering fear and exclusion for years to come.
“We believe this bill does not provide sufficiently for transparency and accountability of ministers and their officials and nor has as the Ministry of Health’s consultation provided sufficient detail to justify these changes.
“We urge the Ministry of Health to seriously reflect on the real issues hampering the effectiveness of the Government’s response and seek to resolve those issues, rather than changing the law.
“In the absence of that, the Government is showing a lack of ambition and real commitment to New Zealand’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Leggett says.
*Click here to read Transporting NZ’s full submission.
