There is widespread public concern about the Fast Track Approvals Bill being pushed by the coalition government’s two cabinet ministers Shane Jones and Chris Bishop.
According to an article by Greenpeace, that concern has spread to many who voted National at the 2023 election.
Undermining of democracy and the risk of corruption are two of the major sticking points according to a new Horizon Research survey of the government proposal.writes Nick Young on the Greenpeace website.
Other concerns are about the return of previously prohibited practices and subsequent threats to the public’s conservation lands and ocean.
Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman said the poll results shows the folly of the coalition government’s proposed fast track law.
On Saturday (8 June) Greenpeace is holding a protest rally in Aotea Square, Auckland and Russel Norman expects it will be attended not only by environmentalists but people from across the political spectrum who value democracy and nature.
“People are repelled by the stench of corruption emanating from the Beehive right now as there is donations scandal after another linked to the Fast Track Bill,” he said. “People don’t want to see rivers and lakes turned to sewers.”
The Horizon poll shows 76 percent of National voters are concerned about the environmental consequences should the bill become law.
Forty-four percent of National voters are concerned that just three ministers will have power to decide on development projects, with few checks and balances. Fifty-three percent are concerned the Fast Track Bill could create risk that commercial interests, some who have made political donations to parties and MPs, may influence development decisions.
Footnote: The Horizon Research survey was carrierdout in late May with a sample size of 1,060 adults, 18 years for age and over. The maximum margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent. Seventy percent surveyed were very concerned or concerned that the public won’t have the right to have a say, 66 percent were concerned at the extreme power, three cabinet ministers will have and 64 percent were worried about sea bed mining and 61 percent about mining on the public’s conservation land.
I voted for the national party based on promises of change, Three Water’s, environmental change, returning the policy of the same rules apply to all etc.
The labour government had Mahuta arrogantly taking away the Kiwis rights and voice, and now we have your fast tracking act, so much for your promises, Mr Jones and Bishop are doing exactly the same as Mahuta the louter, this is not democracy, our in the best interests for New Zealand, this is a reckless abuse of power.
I do support Simeon Browns amendment Bill, a no brainer New Zealanders.
Regards
Peter Bragg
Executive Member of NZFFA
I am concerned that this countries’ waterways are already badly contaminated in many places. The demands on fresh water for forestry, vineyards and dairy farming to name a few are resulting in some of the contamination and that’s with our current supposedly restrictive laws. What boundaries will be placed on the proposeed fast tracking” Historical stripping of bushland on the hills of the east coast of the north island resulted in enormous deposits of silt following high rainfall. Will this sort of damage be increased under the new fast tracking? I have real concerns for New Zealands fresh and salt waterways. Private businesses should not be able to profit from waterway contamination.
Kelptomania, corruption, or simply dumb arrogance?
The consequences for the environment from eliminating expertise and informed debate from the consenting process will be dire.
“Expert panel” and Expert Ministers yeah right!
There is no evidence this bill is necessary. It offers no clearly defined criteria for the proposed fast-track projects. The process lacks transparency and accountability. It violates almost all of this country’s constitutional and semi-constitutional common law. It’s profoundly undemocratic and against the grain of the movement towards sustainable business models and governance kicked off by the 1987 Brundtland Report for the UN. These guys are operating on a bad, retro business model.
This is an omnibus bill. They are notorious the world over for burying controversial policies in large documents to hide back-room deals with dirty investors, who often are cronies of dirty politicians.
This current government is a cabal of special interests. Chris Bishop used to work as a lobbyist for American Big Tobacco company Phillip Morris. Tobacco kills 10 million people a year and is the world’s single biggest preventable health problem. Nicola Willis was a lobbyist for Fonterra, the country’s biggest polluter. Shane Jones is far too close to mining companies and bottom trawlers. And David Seymour and Nicola Willis were both trained by the nefarious Atlas Network, the American-based world’s largest right-wing think tank, funded by the Koch family, Big Oil, and Big Tobacco.
That’s why even their own base thinks the bill is a bad idea.
I waited patiently for Luxon to make any firm policy statements on a wide range of issues. He seemed so “dull as dishwater”, with a complete lacklustre agenda and personality to boot.
Whilst essential the other lot were removed from office asap, I could never find it in my heart to vote National again – so I opted for another of the coalition partners.
Sadly, as expected, National are delivering most of what they didn’t promise
The environment has always suffered under National. Plundering natural resources to fund their avarice and greed for Mammon. You can trace this back all the way to National in 1991 with the introduction of the original RMA. While noble in statements of intent such as introducing “sustainable management” as a key objective, it has been perverted over the years, mostly by bureaucratic “bloat” to become so unwieldy as to be now so counter-productive as to inhibit such sustainability.
Looking further at National’s track record, one only has to look at the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake and the ECan debacle to see the writing on the wall – nothing this National-led government was going to do would be to benefit the environment – no matter what the rhetoric.
Amen, brother.