Budget 2020 is approaching its final stages of approval at Parliament and more MPs will say goodbye this week.
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson holding the Budget 2020 Statement on the steps of Parliament Photo: Dom Thomas
Only six sitting days remain of the 52nd Parliament which will dissolve on August 12th ahead of the September election.
There are a few things the House of Representatives (all the MPs) have to get through before that happens and one of them is to complete the final stages of the Appropriation (2020/2021 Estimates) Bill - also known as the Budget.
Budget 2020 was announced in May and most of the media coverage focuses on the Finance Minister's speech and reveal of where the Government plans to spend the country's money.
But approving that spending plan is a lengthy process which involves Parliament passing a bill and they need to do it before the House dissolves.
"The budget does follow reasonably normal legislative process although the time frames are a lot longer than for a regular bill," said Leader of the House Chris Hipkins.
The process is roughly as follows:
- First reading - no debate on this and it's over quickly so the House goes straight into the next stage.
- Second reading - 40 to 50 minute speech from the Minister of Finance followed by a 13 hour debate.
- Select Committee stage - Ministers turn up before select committees for the Estimate Hearings. Committees write reports for the House to debate at the next stage.
- Committee of the Whole House - select committee reports are debated over 11 hours. Ministers will spend some time in the House to answer questions from MPs.
- Third reading - the final stage lasts an hour longer than is usual for a third reading and will take three hours.
The Committee of the Whole House stage is where the bill is at this week.
"It's effectively the line-by-line debate. It's where Ministers can be quizzed on what's in their parts of the appropriations," said Mr Hipkins.
"So we're using a slightly different format to this year the ones we've used in the past where Ministers will engage in more of a rapid fire question session with other members of Parliament."
Speeches won't be limited to the usual four per MP and the debate will take place in a thematic way beginning with Education and Workforce and then Health.
To make sure they get it all done in time the House will start sitting earlier on Wednesday from 9am instead of the usual 2pm.
A final farewell
MPs stand to applaud departing New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell who shakes his Party Leader Winston Peters hand. Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
Departing MPs are given the option to make a final speech to the House called a valedictory statement.
These speeches are often humourous, reflective, and poignant as an MP looks back at their time at Parliament.
"The amount of time given to someone's valedictory is partly dependent on their length of service," said Mr Hipkins.
"The default is 15 minutes for you to wrap up your time in Parliament and share any parting wisdom you want to give but for members who are particularly long serving there's generally a convention that you give them a little bit longer."
Mr Hipkins listed MPs like National MPs David Carter, Paula Bennett, and Anne Tolley and Labour MP Ruth Dyson as those who have more time for their speeches.
"Every member who has announced their retirement is entitled to give a valedictory statement but not everybody does," he said.
"Typically those who maybe have left under a bit of a cloud sometimes choose not to give a valedictory statement but everybody is able to if they wish to."
Six MPs are scheduled to give their valedictory statements this week.
From 5pm on Wednesday will be National MPs Sarah Dowie, Alistair Scott and Paula Bennett.
From 5pm on Thursday will be National MPs Nikki Kaye, Amy Adams, and Nathan Guy.
The speeches can be watched live on Parliament TV or through Parliament's website.
