Bad retrospective legislation

Back in April I blogged that I thought it was a bad idea to have a retrosepective law change to ban people previously convicted of murder or a serious sexual offence from operating a taxi.

Not that I generally stand up for murderers and rapists. But if someone did something 30 years ago, has not re-offended, and been a model taxi driver, then the law change would penalise him or her unfairly.

How a Labour Government which claims to support rehabilitation could pass such a dopey law, I do not know. But they did and the NZ Herald reports today that a 60 year old from Huntly is going to lose his job driving buses because of an offence in the 1980s.

Also caught up in this silly law is a man who was convicted 40 years ago of sleeping with a minor. Never mind he later married her and had children with her – bang goes his passenger licence.

I don’t know how Harry Duynhoven says he had only recently become aware of the situation. It was obvious back in April this would happen.