Committee of the Whole House

The audio recording from 26th March 1986 titled "Parliament: Committee of the Whole House - Homosexual Law Reform Bill (part 2)" captures a historical debate in the New Zealand Parliament on the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. The crux of the debate involves the proposed amendment to the bill that would change the age of consent from 16 to 18 years. The discussion reflects the social and political tensions of the 1980s regarding the legislation concerning homosexual rights.

During the intense debate, which highlights the political tactics and convictions of the period, various MPs discuss the implications and nuances of the proposed law and its amendments. One MP passionately vows to campaign against anyone who supports the bill with a lowered age of consent, while another emphasizes the need for a middle course and suggests that an age of consent at 18 would serve as a more acceptable compromise to the previously proposed age of 16. The debate indicates a significant split in society and in parliamentary opinion over the bill, emphasizing that the amendment is not simply about age but also encompasses broader concerns regarding human rights, morality, and public health issues such as AIDS.

Throughout the dialogue, there are procedural complications and disagreements over how the committee should handle the discussion of the bill's amendments. The MPs discuss at length whether to proceed clause by clause or to allow a wider debate across all parts before moving the individual amendments. Some members stress the importance of following standing orders while others voice concerns over restrictions this would cause in the debate, possibly suppressing the full exploration of pertinent issues.

The recording includes a series of points of order and interventions by various MPs. A notable moment captures an MP being ordered to leave the chamber due to their conduct during the proceedings. The heated nature of the discussion is evident, as is the complexity of managing a fair and orderly parliamentary debate on such a contentious issue.

The lawmakers engaged in a tug of war over adopting a procedure that permits a comprehensive debate across the full spectrum of the bill versus one that adheres strictly to procedural norms which could limit such discourse. It becomes clear that a key aim of the parliamentarians is to ensure that their viewpoints, as well as those of their constituents, are represented and that the Bill's details are thoroughly scrutinized before any decisions are made.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

George Gair John Banks Merv Wellington Norman Jones

1980s, aotearoa new zealand, equality, fran wilde, geoffrey palmer, george gair, graeme lee, homosexual, homosexual law reform, homosexual law reform act (1986), homosexual law reform petition, human rights, jim mclay, john banks, john luxton, law, merv wellington, michael cullen, norman jones, parliament buildings, paul east, philip woollaston, politics, robert muldoon, trevor mallard, venn young, wellington

age of consent, anger, apology, archives, boxes, change, choice, class, code, compromise, consent, defiance, democracy, desire, difference, energy, environment, events, exercise, expression, face, fashion, fear, feelings, gay, god, government, guidance, hamilton, heterosexual, homosexual law reform, hope, intervention, iran, island bay, legislation, lesbian, media, medicine, minority, nature, nelson, news, nigeria, normal, north shore, opportunity, other, passing, people, petition, proposal, quiz, respect, running, security, sleep, sodomy, speech, submission, support, time, understanding, voice, vote, water, workshop