A bill reinstating the title Queens Counsel for lawyers moved closer to law on Tuesday, but Labour promised to repeal the move as a priority when it returned to the Government benches.
Justice Minister Judith Collins said the Lawyers and Conveyancers Amendment Bill would reinstate the status of QC which had been replaced by the last Labour Government with the title of Senior Counsel.
The bill also makes other minor amendments.
Labour MP Charles Chauvel said the QC title was clouded in obscurity and Labour had sought to cut ties with New Zealand’s colonial past and created the Senior Counsel status to apply across a wider range of lawyers and not just barristers.
Chauvel said the bill if passed into law it would be repealed by the next Labour government.
The Bill completed its second reading by 63 to 56 with National, Maori Party, ACT and United Future supporting
MPs began the second reading debate of the International Finance Agreements Amendment Bill and it progressed on a voice vote.
The interrupted debate on the third reading of the Juries (Jury Service and Protection of Particulars of Jury List Information) Amendment Bill resumed.
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