A group of former MPs led by Dame Marilyn Waring is forming an unofficial “people’s select committee” to scrutinise the coalition government’s recent changes to pay equity law.
The move comes after public protests and claims that the reforms were rushed through under urgency without proper consultation.
The committee includes ex-lawmakers from across the political spectrum, including Labour’s Lianne Dalziel, National’s Jackie Blue, and the Greens’ Sue Bradford, and aims to hold public hearings starting in August. Support is also being provided by the PSA and other union-aligned groups.
Dame Marilyn said the group was responding to a lack of evidence presented by the government and would gather submissions from affected parties, including businesses and unions. The goal is to release a public report by Christmas.
Critics of the government say the new law constitutes “wage theft” and “constitutional vandalism.”
Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden defended the changes, saying the law remains in place but is now simpler and more robust. The government does not intend further changes.
Editor’s note: Nearly all members of the so-called “people’s select committee” are ex-MPs or union-aligned advocates with a vested interest in preserving the status quo. The group claims to represent the public, yet it holds no legal authority, has no democratic mandate, and notably excludes voices critical of the old system.
Despite insisting on neutrality, their language – “wage theft,” “gaslighting,” “constitutional vandalism” – makes the agenda clear.
The government’s reforms don’t abolish pay equity. They raise the bar, requiring strong, ongoing evidence of sex-based undervaluation rather than relying on historic or assumed bias. That shift has upset those who preferred a looser, ideology-driven model.
The real debate is this: should equal pay laws be based on verifiable discrimination or activist framing?
Centrist Ltd.