The push to pass the Modern Slavery Bill before the election
Labour MP Camilla Belich has written to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon asking Parliament to pass the Modern Slavery Bill before the election.
Belich said she wrote to Luxon and to Parliament's Business Committee in the previous week. She had not yet received a reply, according to RNZ. Luxon said there would not be time to pass it before the election. He said National would return it to the order paper, the list of business Parliament works through, if re-elected.
The Bill is a member's bill jointly sponsored by Belich and National MP Greg Fleming. A member's bill is one put forward by an individual MP rather than the Government. It advanced despite opposition from ACT.
It still required its committee stage and second and third readings at the time of reporting. That is three further House stages. The committee stage is when MPs examine the Bill in detail. For a member's bill in the final sitting weeks, each stage needs House time and a slot in the order of business.
Belich lodged the Bill in June 2025, according to Scoop. It was read a first time on 29 April 2026 and then referred to the Education and Workforce Committee, the cross-party group that checks the draft law and hears from the public. The committee called for submissions by 11.59pm on Thursday, 28 May 2026. It was required to report back to the House by 31 August 2026.
The purpose of the Bill is to set up a law to strengthen and coordinate action against modern slavery. It would require the Minister to report to Parliament each year on progress. It would also require the Minister to issue guidance on reporting suspected cases.
Non-government organisations have called for urgent action to pass the Bill before the election. That call was reported on 18 September.
The broader context here is procedural rather than about the policy itself. The Business Committee sets much of the sitting programme, and the Government controls most House time. A member's bill that has been through select committee but not the committee of the whole House depends on that time being found. Without it, the Bill lapses at dissolution and must be restored in the next Parliament.
In practical terms, Luxon's commitment matters because restoration is not automatic. It requires a motion and the agreement of the new House. A pre-election commitment from a prime minister gives supporters a clear point to refer to, but timing, drafting and policy settings would be left to post-election decisions. For those tracking the Bill, the questions are now narrow. Will the Business Committee find time in the remaining sitting days. If not, which party moves the restoration motion. And does the select committee report provide a text a new government can move quickly.
