March Planned in Support of Human Rights Commision
PRESS RELEASE
Protest March Planned in Support of the Human Rights Commission
Saturday 17 November, Queen Street, Auckland. 10.30am.
9 November 2007
I am pleased to announce that I have today lodged an application with the Auckland City Council to lead a protest march down Queen Street, Auckland.
The council have confirmed it is my democratic right to do so, and the march will leave from Aotea Square at 10.30am and proceeding to Britomart Place.
I and others will be protesting about the combined effect of the Electoral Finance Bill and the recently introduced Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill.
The combined effect of these two bills is to massively increase the amount of taxpayer money available to existing members of parliament and political parties to fund their re-election campaigns, while severely restricting the ability of private citizens to oppose them. This is an affront to democracy in New Zealand.
The Human Rights Commission has described the Electoral Finance Bill as “inherently flawed” and has called on the government to withdraw the bill and redraft it from scratch based on the over 600 public submissions.
To date, the government has failed to act on that recommendation.
The Commission has also called on the government to allow a further round of public submissions on whatever bill comes from the select committee process. To date, the government has given no indication it will do this.
We will be marching in support of the Human Rights Commission.
Those wishing to participate should assemble in Aotea Square from 10.00am with the march to leave at 10.30am.
The march will be widely advertised in the media next week.
I will attempt to be there. My first ever political protest!!
Ends
nice and attractive website but its surprise that i never found it before may be you never posted your stories on www.laadi.com and we in India use laadi.com to search for new updated blog stories any way nice work keep it up. . .
ReplyDeleteThanks Anjali
ReplyDeleteSeems you might try exploring the idea of bloggers from all over the world protesting as well.. ?
ReplyDeleteMaybe have everyone sign a petition or write a letter or something...
I'd like to visit new zeland some day (of all the places in the world) (er even have a customer there) So, Maybe a graphic that says "save new zeland? and make it a widget and use the power and masses of the internet to drive your point home...
if it's your first political protest, I'd think you would want to do it right and make a Big splash??