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Nick Smith forced into public gallery at select committee meeting

Author
Newstalk ZB ,
Publish Date
Thu, 9 May 2019, 12:32PM
Nick Smith was named and suspended from Parliament yesterday. (Photo / NZ Herald)

Nick Smith forced into public gallery at select committee meeting

Author
Newstalk ZB ,
Publish Date
Thu, 9 May 2019, 12:32PM

Drama continues in Parliament after Nick Smith was named and suspended from Parliament. 

National MP Nick Smith has been relegated to being a spectator at a Justice Select Committee in Parliament this morning.

Smith is meant to be on the committee looking at our general and local elections - including the issue of foreign interference.

However, he was named and suspended from the debating chamber for 24 hours yesterday, after clashing with Police Minister Stuart Nash and Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard.

There was a flurry of activity between the clerks and Smith at the start of submissions, and a Labour MP questioned his attendance, but he’s remained in the public seating area at the back of the room.

ZB political editor Barry Soper says that even though Smith won't be in the debating chamber today, he expects to see the incident come up amongst politicians. 

Soper told Andrew Dickens that this all started after Smith tried to seek leave for a National bill around roadside drug testing to be moved to the top of the order paper at the next Private Member's Day.

"The Speaker said no, leave is not granted. It's really not for the Speaker to deny leave. What he's duty bound to do is put the question to the House and let the MPs decide, and he overruled that." 

Soper says that this all happened after some disorder in the public gallery.

"After Karen Dow, who's son was killed by a drunk driver, and she called out from the public gallery, and she yelled at Stuart Nash, the Police Minister.

"She had brought a petition for roadside drug testing to Parliament. When she launched that petition at the end of last year,  Stuart Nash had said a discussion document had already been approved by Cabinet and would go to consultation early this year."

Nash denied making the comment yesterday, but Smith still intended to move on his bill. 

"He mouthed something at the Speaker, he was sent on his way, and on his way he said 'soft on drugs, just like the Government'," which is the comment that saw Smith being named and barred from Parliament. 

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