Friday, September 25, 2009



In the ballot XXXI

Another batch of Member's Bills currently in the ballot. Previous batches are indexed here:

Code of Airline Consumer Rights Bill (Ashraf Choudhary): Would create a code of consumer rights specifically for users of commercial and civil airlines, to ensure they are kept informed, have access to essential services should flights be delayed or cancelled, and have the ability to receive a fair hearing and settlement of claims against the airline. The code is based on the EU's code on the Rights of Airline Passengers [PDF].

Employment Relations (Workers’ Secret Ballot for Strikes) Amendment Bill (Tau Henare): This bill would amend the Employment Relations Act 2000 to require a secret ballot for all votes on strike action. Henare frames this as an attempt to prevent intimidation, but that says more about his actions as an organiser for the now-defunct Clerical Workers Union than it does about modern unions, almost all of which already use the secret ballot (a fundamental right in any democratic organisation). Still, some don't, and so its worth codifying into law. If drawn, I would expect this bill to pass unanimously.

Fair Trading (Soliciting on Behalf of Charities) Amendment Bill (Amy Adams): This bill would impose a requirement on professional fundraisers (e.g. telemarketers) acting on behalf of charities who retained more than half the money collected in fees to disclose the percentage retained. It's a solid consumer-protection measure, and again I'd expect it to pass with overwhelming support.

As usual, I'll have more bills as I acquire them.