Govt unlikely to let Julie Anne Genter off the hook after Matt Doocey confrontation in House

Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick and Julie Anne Genter.

Opinion

EDITORIAL

The confrontation between Green MP Julie Anne Genter and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey will likely have its conclusion at Parliament’s Privileges Committee.

Genter crossed the floor - not to vote with the Government, but to confront Doocey in the debating chamber with a book in her hand. Shocked MPs - who are not averse to meltdowns - thought Genter might use the book to hit the National MP.

The incident happened about 8pm on Wednesday as Labour’s Nelson MP Rachel Boyack was speaking, and followed interjections between Doocey and Genter.

Genter got up from her seat, as the chair Barbara Kuriger urged her to return to it.

But Genter was having none of it and got in Doocey’s face.

Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter confronts Matthew Doocey in Parliament.

Order was restored when the Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, came back to the chamber to deal with the matter.

Behaviour like the sort displayed by Genter will be frowned upon and it’s likely some form of sanction will be imposed.

MPs are ejected from the debating chamber on a regular basis, but is normally caused by verbal antics rather than one confronting another on their feet.

The public want their MPs to be passionate but Parliament isn’t the schoolyard and our elected representatives need to act professionally, despite how heated debates can get.

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Greens’ damage control has already swung into action with Genter apologising for her outburst but it’s unlikely members of the coalition Government will let this slide that quickly.

The Government has taken a few days of pounding following a 1News poll showing support dipping. If an election was held today, the coalition, according to the Varian poll, would not have the numbers to govern.

Add to its woes the real-life stories of the Government’s slashing of the public service starting to hit home - another reason support for the National-Act-NZ First coalition is wavering.

Thousands of our fellow citizens are losing their jobs and the majority of fair-minded New Zealanders know that in this tough economic environment, many of those who are given their marching orders may struggle to find re-employment.

For the public servants who were close to retirement age and have decided to take the golden handshake from the Government’s Golden Goose, good on them.

But those lucky few will know some of their less fortunate colleagues with big mortgages and kids will be doing it tough.

The Government will welcome the opportunity to shift the conversation to the behaviour of Opposition MPs, so this won’t be the last we hear of the Genter-Doocey exchange.