Thanks to you both for highlighting this very dangerous assault on our democracy by at best, 8% of the population. This clandestine approach by act further shows just how extremely weak and ineffective the current prime minister is.
Do commerce degrees include any humanities papers? Would be a useful requirement for a role in governance. It seems he and others are fixated only on balancing the books - as if government is just another big business.
Where would we be without people like Melanie delving into such technical and complicated proposed fast-tracked Bills by the COG. Most of us won’t understand its complexities until up against it. It will ultimately be ousted, like much more they have carried out, once they are ousted.
Sounds very undemocratic to me having less input from a varied part of the population can't be good for making good policy just a narrow view by the likes of Atlas.
The real life example of how pervasive a Regulatory Standards Bill would be insetting the actions of government can be seen in the operation of its companion legislation the Public Finance Act - which sets out principles of responsible fiscal management.
Those so-called responsible fiscal management principles are very much a statement of ACT and neoliberal values towards having small government. They assume that public finances are the same as household finances, so require balanced budgets and drive the fetish towards being in surplus - the consequence of which a reduced public services, and the sort of rubbish budget we got last week.
Like the Regulatory Standards Bill, the principles of responsible fiscal management are not compulsory but governments need to report when (and offer justification for) deviating from those principles.
Both National-led and Labour-led governments have followed these so-called principles of responsible fiscal management since they were passed into law in 1994.
We know the results- increased inequality, increased child poverty, run down public services and infrastructure, declining quality of natural environment and so on.
To me, this bill aims to do away with any last foothold of the commons or collective co-operatism, that is a speed hump to financial elite tyranny, by destroying the state as a going concern, to reduce us to individualism, to make it easier to pick us off.
The Regulatory Standards Bill, in its current and past iterations, walks and talks like a "technical tidying-up" exercise — but when you dig deeper, it smells more like a Trojan horse for neoliberal entrenchment. The bill’s core mechanism is to subject all regulation to strict criteria based on economic efficiency, property rights, and individual liberty — sounds noble until you realize it subtly rewrites the purpose of government from serving the public to serving capital.
It as an attack on the commons. Under this framework, regulation that exists for public well-being, social equity, or environmental protection becomes suspect unless it can justify itself in narrow cost-benefit terms. That means public interest gets reframed as an economic burden, and anything that doesn't serve profit — like collective ownership, cooperation, or universal rights — becomes collateral damage.
The bill effectively retools the state as a watchdog for market freedom, not citizen welfare. By elevating "economic efficiency" over democratic governance, it starts to sound less like regulation and more like privatized ideology in legal drag.
Once solidarity, mutual responsibility, and collective protections are stripped away, what’s left is atomized individuals facing corporate Goliaths — a neoliberal dream, and a citizen’s nightmare.
Thanks to you both .. This is so very concerning and the power ACT are looking for is outrageous.
Let's hope the select committee sees thru their ghastly agenda.
Thanks to you both for highlighting this very dangerous assault on our democracy by at best, 8% of the population. This clandestine approach by act further shows just how extremely weak and ineffective the current prime minister is.
Do commerce degrees include any humanities papers? Would be a useful requirement for a role in governance. It seems he and others are fixated only on balancing the books - as if government is just another big business.
Where would we be without people like Melanie delving into such technical and complicated proposed fast-tracked Bills by the COG. Most of us won’t understand its complexities until up against it. It will ultimately be ousted, like much more they have carried out, once they are ousted.
I must add how marvelous Melanie is thankyou for bringing her to us Bryan.
Sounds very undemocratic to me having less input from a varied part of the population can't be good for making good policy just a narrow view by the likes of Atlas.
The real life example of how pervasive a Regulatory Standards Bill would be insetting the actions of government can be seen in the operation of its companion legislation the Public Finance Act - which sets out principles of responsible fiscal management.
Those so-called responsible fiscal management principles are very much a statement of ACT and neoliberal values towards having small government. They assume that public finances are the same as household finances, so require balanced budgets and drive the fetish towards being in surplus - the consequence of which a reduced public services, and the sort of rubbish budget we got last week.
Like the Regulatory Standards Bill, the principles of responsible fiscal management are not compulsory but governments need to report when (and offer justification for) deviating from those principles.
Both National-led and Labour-led governments have followed these so-called principles of responsible fiscal management since they were passed into law in 1994.
We know the results- increased inequality, increased child poverty, run down public services and infrastructure, declining quality of natural environment and so on.
Very well said Andrew - thank you.
I heartily agree with all of the above! Thank you so much for your very valuable work, Melanie and Bryan!
To me, this bill aims to do away with any last foothold of the commons or collective co-operatism, that is a speed hump to financial elite tyranny, by destroying the state as a going concern, to reduce us to individualism, to make it easier to pick us off.
The Regulatory Standards Bill, in its current and past iterations, walks and talks like a "technical tidying-up" exercise — but when you dig deeper, it smells more like a Trojan horse for neoliberal entrenchment. The bill’s core mechanism is to subject all regulation to strict criteria based on economic efficiency, property rights, and individual liberty — sounds noble until you realize it subtly rewrites the purpose of government from serving the public to serving capital.
It as an attack on the commons. Under this framework, regulation that exists for public well-being, social equity, or environmental protection becomes suspect unless it can justify itself in narrow cost-benefit terms. That means public interest gets reframed as an economic burden, and anything that doesn't serve profit — like collective ownership, cooperation, or universal rights — becomes collateral damage.
The bill effectively retools the state as a watchdog for market freedom, not citizen welfare. By elevating "economic efficiency" over democratic governance, it starts to sound less like regulation and more like privatized ideology in legal drag.
Once solidarity, mutual responsibility, and collective protections are stripped away, what’s left is atomized individuals facing corporate Goliaths — a neoliberal dream, and a citizen’s nightmare.
I appreciated this very much! Hugely helpfuL Thank you!