John Boscawen

I am not going to stand up here and criticise the National Party, nor am I going to stand up and criticise the Labour Party; I want to address an issue that I think is partisan to all members of Parliament. The Prime Minister was asked this afternoon about New Zealand superannuation, and he referred …

It had not been my intention to take a call in this debate. However, I feel honour-bound to stand up and respond to some of the comments that came from the Labour member Raymond Huo.
Mr Huo seems to think that if he continues to repeat a mistruth, it might somehow gain credence in this Chamber …

I rise on behalf of the ACT Party to support the first reading of the Securities Disclosure and Financial Advisers Amendment Bill. Unlike the Green Party, we will be supporting this bill going to the select committee. However, I agree with my colleague Kevin Hague that this country is facing a total failure of investor …

I rise to speak on the first reading of the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Amendment Bill. ACT supports this bill because, for too long, high costs and unnecessary delays have been pushed on to anyone who wants to upgrade his or her home, build a garage, or trim a tree. For too long, companies …

JOHN BOSCAWEN (ACT) : I will take a short call on this bill. I would like to make a couple of comments on the speeches that I have heard this evening. I find it rather ironic that Metiria Turei has just said that this bill is a serious attack on the citizens of New Zealand. …

I will repeat just part of what I said on Thursday night. Just under 15 months ago, on Saturday, 1 December 2007, I organised a protest march against the Electoral Finance Bill in Queen Street, Auckland. I am told that the police estimated that around 5,000 people protested on that day, and if that is …

I always laugh when politicians talk about the State funding of political parties. I wonder what they think we actually have. We are all here on salaries, so there is massive State funding of political parties—massive State funding—and anyone who suggests anything to the contrary of that has his or her head in the sand.
There …

I would also like to talk about the donation regime but before I do I would just like to assure the Hon Pete Hodgson that I look forward to being involved in this debate on a multipartisan basis, but he made the comment: “Let us be clear that the Electoral Finance Act did not set …

It always fascinates me when members of the Green Party talk about citizens’ assemblies. I was at the hearing of the Justice and Electoral Committee on the Electoral Finance Bill on 18 October 2007 as a member of the public. At that hearing the Chief Human Rights Commissioner said quite clearly and categorically that her …

JOHN BOSCAWEN (ACT) : On 18 December 2007 I sat in the gallery above, as other members of the public do now, and I looked down on the speakers in the third reading of the Electoral Finance Bill. Many outstanding speakers that day spoke against that bill, but there was one speech I will never …