By AUDREY YOUNG
Political parties would have to censor any public reference about their own private polling if they ban the news media publishing polls in the run-up to an election, says senior National MP Simon Upton.
Parties needed to be consistent in their advocacy, he said. "If you are going to call for no polls to be published, it does seem to be fair to desist from referring to polls yourself in support of your arguments."
He voiced his caution at the National Party conference, speaking on a remit calling for the consideration of banning the publication of political polling for an unspecified period before an election.
The remit was somewhat redundant because Parliament began debating last week a private member's bill in the name of New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
The bill seeks to outlaw publishing poll results 28 days before an election.
And National has already considered the issue inasmuch as it advocated a ban on the publication of poll results a week before an election in its submission to the select committee reviewing the 1999 elections.
Mr Upton said he had not yet made up his mind on the proposed ban in the bill but he wanted consistency in its application.
He was not sure whether bans on other polling such as business confidence surveys should be considered.
But he was certain polling could influence an election outcome.
- Audrey Young
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