Committee of the Whole House

This summary encapsulates the heated parliamentary debate over the Homosexual Law Reform Bill recorded on the 5th of March 1986. The Committee of the Whole House grappled fiercely over the process by which the bill should be examined and debated, specifically whether it should be considered part by part, as proposed by some members, or clause by clause for part one. The audio reveals parliamentarians contesting over procedural precedents, with references to McGee's procedural handbook informing the discourse. The historic contention was underscored by the lengthy duration of the debate and numerous points of order raised concerning the motion at hand. The recording, replete with procedural nuances, reflects the intensity and significance attached to the bill, which aimed to decriminalize consensual acts of homosexuality and represented a crucial shift in the societal and legal recognition of gay rights in New Zealand.

During the debate, proposals for the bill's division into parts and the process by which it would be debated met with resistance and calls for a more granular legislative examination on moral and societal grounds. The debate reflects both the intricate procedural workings of New Zealand's parliamentary system and the passionate, often personal, investment of the lawmakers in the outcomes of such landmark legislation.

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.

Bill Birch Doug Kidd Fran Wilde George Gair Graeme Lee Helen Clark Jim McLay John Banks John Luxton Maurice McTigue Merv Wellington Michael Cullen Norman Jones Richard Northey Richard Prebble Robert Muldoon Venn Young Whetu Tirikatene Sullivan

1980s, aotearoa new zealand, bill birch, doug kidd, equality, filibuster, fran wilde, george gair, graeme lee, helen clark, homosexual, homosexual law reform, homosexual law reform act (1986), homosexual law reform petition, human rights, jim mclay, john luxton, law, maurice mctigue, merv wellington, michael cullen, norman jones, parliament buildings, politics, richard northey, richard prebble, robert muldoon, venn young, wellington, whetu tirikatene sullivan

advice, archives, attitude, balance, bear, board, budget, button, career, change, choice, class, community, conference, conscience vote, convictions, crime, data, death, democracy, denial, design, difference, division, education, emotional, environment, events, exercise, face, family, fantasy, fashion, fat, football, future, gay, god, government, guidance, gym, hamilton, health, hell, hit, homosexual law reform, identity, individual, invercargill, job, john banks, kicked out, knowledge, legislation, lesbian, lobbying, local government, love, manatū hauora ministry of health, march, mary, minority, myth, naming, national party, nature, new south wales, normal, north shore, opportunity, other, parties, passing, people, policy, power, prison, proposal, proposition, queen, race, review, shopping, skype, social, sodomy, space, speech, stress, structure, submission, suit, support, tax, time, top, training, trauma, understanding, values, voice, vote, wales, water, wisdom, witness, writing