OPINION
Speaker Gerry Brownlee has referred the behaviour of Julie Anne Genter to the powerful Privileges Committee, even as the Green Party says her behaviour won’t cost her any jobs.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee has referred Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee after a confrontation in Parliament last week while the Green Party co-leaders have ruled out stripping Genter of her portfolios as an option in their disciplinary process.
Brownlee delivered his ruling in Parliament today, saying he had received letters from National Party whip Scott Simpson and Act Party whip Todd Stephenson about Genter’s behaviour confronting National MP Matt Doocey in Parliament.
“The conduct complained of could amount to threatening or intimidating a member acting in the discharge of their duty, or threatening a member on account of their conduct in Parliament.”
Brownlee said it was not for the Speaker to look into the veracity of the evidence or conduct an inquiry into the allegations. That was the role of the Privileges Committee. He said his role was to decide whether the conduct could amount to a breach of privilege, or contempt of Parliament.
Genter jetted off to the Chatham Islands ahead of that announcement for a pre-arranged visit and is expected to be away until Saturday. She has not yet spoken publicly about the issue.
NZ Herald
Imagine the outcry if a National MP had stood over a Labour minister in the demanding and over-bearing manner that Julie Anne Genter displayed. The media would be demanding resignations, as would various mouthpieces for the Labour Party.
But because it is a woman MP and a Green, they think the shield of sanctimony protects them. You can see this in the response from the Green Party:
Today the Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chloe Swarbrick have also ruled out stripping Genter of her transport portfolio as part of the party’s disciplinary process.
Asked today whether that was an option, Davidson said no.
“Not at all, she’s one of this country’s most experienced and passionate MPs when it comes to transport. What is important is that she knows the action in the House was wrong, she is accepting a process to be able to provide support so that this may never happen again.”
She would not go into details of what other options there were for disciplining Genter when asked whether Genter would face any consequences. “The consequences? I think she’s been feeling them for the last week or so.”
She said the most important thing was for Genter to get the support she needed to do her work.
“What the public are demanding is this never happens again, and that’s what we are proposing.”
NZ Herald
Their words betray them. What we are seeing from the Greens is the start of the excuse-making and justifications that Genter was just misunderstood, that she is passionate about the topic, but just maybe, hey cut her some slack, she’s a woman, she might have taken a better approach.
National MP Tim van de Molen had been stripped of his portfolios by National Party leader Christopher Luxon in 2023 after he was sanctioned for intimidating behaviour toward Labour MP Shanan Halbert in a select committee.
However, Davidson said the Green Party did not need to follow the same path.
“We can’t parallel what other MPs have done specifically for this particular action in the House. So we deem it appropriate that we are having a disciplinary action that will be confidential, but we will be providing professional personal support to ensure this never happens again.” Swarbrick defended Genter’s refusal to front publicly on her behaviour, saying it would be inappropriate for her to do so given the privileges complaints against her.
“Many members of Parliament have screwed up time and time again and when that occurs we expect our members of Parliament to acknowledge they have screwed up, to front up to that and to move forward.”
NZ Herald
See, we don’t have to do what others have done, because we are Greens, and we have the shield of sanctimony. Plus they are deploying arguments that ceased to be relevant at kindergarten, that other MPs behave badly too… so there.
Other MPs may very well have behaved badly, but they aren’t in a party that is so sanctimonious and tut-tutting about everything… except when it comes to their own behaviour.
Which makes them hypocrites.
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