Viewpoint – Parliamentary duties

It’s been a year since Jacinda Ardern’s Government took office. How time flies! As MPs we’ve all been very busy this last year, and Rodney is fortunate to have four MPs based right here. Under the MMP system, there are two types of MPs, electorate and list.

We all have secretarial support in Parliament and are funded for an out-of-Parliament office and staff. MPs who hold an electorate seat are provided with extra staff and resources to deal with the constituency workload. But what exactly are our roles and functions? Unlike most other jobs, there is no formal job description of an MP.

In Parliament itself there is little to distinguish the two categories of MP. As Members of Parliament we all have offices in Wellington and we all appear in the debating chamber most days. Unless we have written leave, we must be on the Parliamentary precinct – Parliament House, the Beehive, Bowen House or the Library – when Parliament is sitting. We cannot set foot outside the precinct because it might result in a vote being lost. This means, at a minimum, we must be on the precinct from 2pm-10pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and until 6pm on Thursdays. Urgency can be taken by the Government to sit outside of these hours. Earlier this month, for example, we started the debates at 9am and finished at 10pm.

Outside these hours, almost all MPs sit on select committees where much of the intensive legislative scrutiny and public hearings take place. These committees operate very differently from the adversarial exchanges between Government and Opposition during question time and debates. The work in committees is much more collaborative, because to pass legislation we need a high level of cross-party work and compromise. I am a member of the Education and Workforce Select Committee, a very busy committee. I believe that the cross-party work is important when dealing with an issue that shouldn’t become a political football.

MPs also meet with groups such as lobbyists and community representatives and attend many other meetings, including attending cross-party meetings with MPs from other countries. Every Tuesday morning, we have our Labour Party caucus where Government backbench MPs can hold their ministers to account.

Probably the most well-known part of the MP role is speaking in the House. This can be asking questions of Ministers or speaking on a bill, which I’ve done 60 times this year. I am always surprised when I get a text from someone watching Parliament TV!

By the time I fly home on Thursday night, I would have done 45 or so hours since Tuesday morning. Then on much of Friday, Monday and weekends I travel around the Rodney electorate. It is a very busy role, but a real privilege to serve.

Marja Lubeck, Rodney-based MP
marja.lubeck@parliament.govt.nz