- Hon Chris Bishop
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says.
"This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this year in the House has shown we're doing exactly that," Mr Bishop says.
"The first full year of the coalition Government has seen 52 Government Bills pass their third readings to become law. A further 83 Government Bills passed their first reading, and 47 Government Bills were reported back from select committee.
"The legislative programme for 2024 reflected key elements of the coalition agreements, the 100-day plan, and our four quarterly plans.
"Important Government legislation passed this year has included:
- The Fast-track Approvals Bill which speeds up the consenting process for major projects with significant regional or national benefits;
- Budget 2024 legislation which included tax relief for workers and the introduction of the FamilyBoost childcare tax credit;
- The Gangs Bill which bans gang patches in public places; and
- The Education and Training Amendment Bill which brings back charter schools, with several planning to open for term 1 2025.
"I am particularly proud that the Bill to protect greyhounds as the greyhound racing industry is phased out was passed through all stages under urgency with the unanimous support of the Parliament. It was an example of Parliament at its best and I thank all parties for working together to pass this swiftly.
"I'd also like to thank all those who make our Parliament run smoothly, including the House Office, the Parliamentary Counsel Office, the cleaners, and staff from the chamber, security, reception, the Parliamentary Library and Hansard, as well as my colleagues on the Business Committee and the Deputy Leader of the House Simeon Brown.
"Parliament will be back in January, and we're looking forward to another great year in the House."
2024 by the numbers:
- 93 First Readings (83 Government, 1 Local, and 9 Members' Bills)
- 60 Bills reported back from Select Committee (47 Government, 1 Private, and 12 Members' Bills)
- 60 Third Readings (52 Government, 1 Private, and 7 Members' Bills)
- 1,795 papers have been presented to the House by Ministers
- 77 Question Times during which Ministers have answered 933 Oral Questions and thousands more supplementary questions
- And as of this morning, Ministers have been asked 87,147 written parliamentary questions.
