Attorney General David Parker needs to release the Crown Law advice about the legality of the lockdown, Opposition Leader Simon Bridges says.
“I supported going into lockdown but the Government had a duty to New Zealanders to ensure that it was enforced legally.
“Media reports show the enforcement of the lockdown wasn’t legal to begin with and that Police didn’t have the powers to prosecute people for breaches.
“That’s why Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield hastily issued a further Section 70 notice. Whether the Section 70 notice is legal is a crucial question on which New Zealand needs to see the legal advice. Numerous legal experts doubt it.
“David Parker needs to urgently release the advice to clear this up. We also need to be sure that the Attorney General and Police Commissioner have not misled Parliament when they appeared at the Epidemic Response Committee.
“Release the legal advice David Parker. New Zealand must be ruled by law, not press conferences.”
