The Ayes are 64, the Noes are 54. Clause 1 will stand
part. That brings us to clause 2.
I call the Hon Dr
Nick Smith. Madam Chair, I want to support
strongly the work of Simeon
Brown and specifically clause 2 in
ensuring this becomes the law of New Zealand
as quickly as is possible. I want
to draw to the House's attention the
work of the coroner that said that
in the last year 45 New Zealanders
have lost their lives
from psychoactive
psychoactive substances as compared with just two in the previous year.
That is a reminder to this
House of how quickly these
psychoactive substances are where wreaking havoc
in our communities and why it is
so critical that
critical that this bill commences as quickly as possible. This
bill comes down to a very simple issue, Madam
Speaker. That is that the
penalty for those people that peddle the
stuff that is killing fellow
New Zealanders comes into effect with
that increasing
that increasing maximum penalty being available to the courts. I
challenge members that
are fillibustering,
fillibustering, members opposite, that oppose the immediate
commencement of this bill, to think
about the New Zealander a week that
is dying as a consequence of these
psychoactive substances. Who in
this Parliament wants
psychoactive substances. Who in this Parliament wants to see
another Currum
Parliament wants to see another
Parliament are playing political games over the
commencement of
Police, he's been the Minister of Police for a year and 45 New
Zealanders, mainly young people v
died on his watch and I give
full credit too to the member in
the Chair, Simeon
Chair, Simeon Brown, who appropriately brought
appropriately brought this bill to the House so this issue can
be taken seriously. I plead with this House
to stop the games, to support
clause 2, and to enable
dots... Point of order. The Hon Clare Curran. Point
of order, Madam Chair. I take
absolute offence at the
implication by that member over there that a
minister is somehow responsible
for 45 deaths.
45 deaths. You may take offence, but in
standing orders you cannot take it
on someone else's
behalf. It is not a point of order. Madam Chair.
a point of order. Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I would like
to correct the record. Please excuse
me if I'm incorrect as a new member. There
are 25 deaths. That's not a
point of order, a debating point. It would
be good if that
member bothered to turn up at the select committee
that heard the evidence and the
coroner was very clear of the number of
people that are dying and why it is
so urgent that we get this law onto
the books of New Zealand and
give
Minister of Justice... Excuse me. I really just ask
members to calm down. I appreciate that there are
some strong feelings, but that
is unacceptable bullying.
unacceptable bullying. Please, we will have an end to that.
Point of order Madam Chair.
The Hon Andrew Little. This is,
as the member pointed out a very
serious issue that I think every member of
this House takes seriously. The
member who is on his feet just
then made inflammatory
made inflammatory remarks that your ruling was within standing orders,
and when that happens, it must be
expected that members
will interject in a way that causes
other members to account. No, that is incorrect. I did not,
I pointed out that the point of order that the
member took was not a correct point
of order. You cannot take offence on
behalf of something else, that
is the point of order.
behalf of something else, that is
I am speaking. Thank you. What I to was your response to that.
I am speaking. Thank you. What I to
objected to was your response to that, Minister, and
I think that is unacceptable. Point of order. Is
this a fresh
unacceptable. Point of order. Is
point of order. Or speaking to the point of order of the previous...
No, that wasn't...
point of order of the previous... No, that wasn't... New point of
order. If that is to be order
in this House tonight, then it
is incumbent on the Chair actually to
ensure that members speaking are
not making inflammatory points that
are... Sit down. Now, members know
that they cannot throws a on
the Chair.
that they cannot throws a on the
The point of order that the member raised was not a point of order.
Madam Chair. Dr Nick Smith. It's
very clear that government members
are very sensitive about this issue,
and so they should be, because
actually having 45 people die,
having 30 to 40 people admitted by
St John's Ambulance every single
week highlights how urgent it is
that
that this legislation...
Well, Mr Little is the Minister of Justice. Mr Nash is the Minister
of Police and what I'm arguing,
Madam Speaker, is that the urgent
commencement of the provisions in
this bill are
absolutely required when the coroner is telling us that
there's been 45 deaths
when the coroner is telling us that
psychoactive substances in the last year. And when St
John's Ambulance, a respected organisation, and I
know members don't want to hear the
markets, when it tells this
committee that there are
between 30 to 40 cases every single week, every
single week, that we need to
get on and put this law on the books
and I say to the Minister of Justice
and I say to the
Minister of Police that they
say to the Minister of Police that
ministerial warrants for a whole year and they have not
lifted a finger about this issue
and that's why I'm backing Simeon Brown,
this bill, and its commencement as
provided for in clause 2 as soon
as it receives the royal ascent.
Because it's very simple,
Madam Speaker. Do we want to give
the courts the power
of a maximum sentence of eight years coming into
effect as quickly as
sentence of eight years coming into
any member who sat on that select committee and heard the submissions,
the pleas from the parents,
the pleas from the people in places
like St John's and accident and
emergency. They are asking
for urgent action not the sitting
on the hands that we're seeing from
And that is why I say to members opposite back this bill,
stop the filibuster. Get this on the law
books because we need to take the
issue of psychoactive substances
that wreaking havoc
urgently.
I call the Hon Stuart Nash. Thank you very much. Madam Chair, we're
debating clause 2, the commencement
date, which
debating clause 2, the commencement
into force the day after the date on which it receives royal Assen. Well,
I hope like hell then that this
bill never receives royal ascent. It
seems, listening to Dr
Nick Smith, the only solution is to build