Government bill 'false' says Prebble

The Speaker of the House Jonathan Hunt is to examine a translation of the Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill, after Act MP Richard Prebble claimed yesterday it was "demonstrably false".

The bill is being considered by Parliament.

"The Government introduces a bill that's in Maori. The Government then produces a translation which is demonstrably false," he told Parliament. The reason that even non-Maori speakers could know that, is that the Maori words that were in the English text aren't the same in the Maori text."

The courts would refer to the Maori text when interpreting the bill, Mr Prebble said.

"We have the situation where 10 MPs know what's being passed and the other 110 of us are being misled."

Fellow Act MP Stephen Franks said there seemed to be significant differences in the two texts.

"It's important ... we have an authoritative assurance to the House that two texts are the same. This country has suffered enough from texts purporting to be one law that have two very different meanings."

Mr Franks asked that the bill not come back before Parliament until the matter had been considered by the business committee.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen said MPs would be given more information before the bill came back to Parliament on Tuesday next week, but the material was not yet available.

Mr Hunt said the interpreter of the bill was a sworn Parliament staff member. However, he took the matter seriously and would examine the transcripts.

- NZPA