Plain Language Act Repeal Bill Submission

This submission is on behalf of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ), the industry body for the public relations sector representing some 800 public relations and communications practitioners across Aotearoa. We oppose the Plain Language Act Repeal Bill.

The Plain Language Act 2022 places a dedicated focus on communicating to the public in an easy and understandable way. This makes it simpler for people to engage with critically important services. As an industry that relies on clear communications that are accessible, and understandable, PRINZ believes the Act improves the effectiveness and accountability of the public service by ensuring communications are clear, accessible, and understandable.
In these tight fiscal times, there is undeniable financial value in clear communication. Communicating something once and having people understand it first time, potentially saves many thousands of dollars. It can also improve public sector productivity through limiting the amount of time staff spend dealing with questions, concerns, or queries based on poor initial communication.

But it’s not just the productivity savings that plain language contributes to, it also helps to build and maintain trust and confidence in the government and the wider public sector. At a time when surveys are showing a decline in public trust of Government, it’s more important than ever that clear communication is maintained.

Ensuring all citizens can easily access government services because they understand how to do so is of critical importance to any government.

The Plain Language Act 2022 has a strong focus on improving accessibility for all demographics, particularly for those with language barriers or disabilities. Disability organisations overwhelmingly supported the introduction of The Plain Language Act through submissions when it was before the Select Committee in 2022. Our understanding is that many of those same organisations are now making submissions to retain this Act. As noted in the 2022 submissions, plain language supports accessibility because it works well with assistive devices and is easier to translate. It also works to encourage respectful, inclusive language and as a prompt to think of the core audience when preparing communications.

There are accessibility guidelines that agencies are directed to follow, however the founder and Chief Executive of Write, Lynda Harris, notes in her submission to The Plain Language Act Repeal Bill that Write’s own research found that only 23% of agencies showed a strong commitment to plain language based on Write’s expert criteria. What this shows is that plain language is not a high enough priority for agencies, even with legislation.

We understand that repealing the Act does not remove the onus on public sector agencies to communicate clearly and in plain language. However, we are concerned that repealing the Act sends the message that clarity and plain language are of reduced importance. We fear that it is likely that without the Act and the reporting requirements that flow from it, obscure, legalistic jargon will dominate public sector communications channels.

As the professional body for communicators, we would like to see plain language and effective communication become one the highest priorities for public servants everywhere. The Plain Language Act 2022 made New Zealand a world leader with the legislation attracting acclaim from plain language experts around the world.
The repeal of this world-leading legislation will be a backward step in terms of our country’s international reputation.

We urge the government to reconsider the repeal of The Plain Language Act 2022, and to re-focus instead on ways to improve its implementation and increase its effectiveness.

Signed by the Board and Management of Public Relations Insituute of New Zealand – PRINZ