Sepuloni CarmelCARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston): I have not been on the Health Committee but I have heard my colleague the Hon Annette King speaking at much length about this bill. She has given us some fairly robust discussion in regard to this and has made us very aware of what she being on the select committee supports and what she does not support. I guess I will just start by saying that it is great to see that the National Government is finally acting on something that the previous Labour Government started—8 years later in fact because it was Pete Hodgson who 8 years ago actually introduced a public health bill in relation to this. I am glad that we have finally got to this point.We know that the bill will increase the range of infectious diseases that are notifiable to a medical officer of health without requiring identifying information of the patient or diseased person. This will include HIV infection gonorrhoea infection acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and syphilis. Concerns that the current legislation does not fully support public health practice have been articulated by staff and health agencies over a sustained period of time which is why this bill is necessary and long overdue. Three measures are being introduced: contact tracing an increase in the range of diseases that are notifiable and options for the management of individuals with significant infectious diseases whose behaviour puts people at the risk of contracting a disease.The restrictions around sunbeds—as our colleague from the Green Party Jan Logie has said—do not go far enough. We should be banning sunbeds like they have in Australia. Coleman has taken a limp-wristed approach to restrictions on sunbeds. He is now getting the Ministry of Health to consult on further restrictions on sunbeds. Why is he doing this when the legislation is now being passed through the House? It is because he knows that the restrictions do not go far enough and he is on the wrong side of the public health debate in relation to this issue. The Ministry of Health has said that banning sunbeds fails one of its key objectives for public health intervention and: would prevent access to sunbed services by adults who are well informed and choose to take the risk of [artificial] UV tanning for cosmetic purposes."So a key test of public health intervention under this Government is the right of people to increase their risk of getting melanoma by 75 percent for cosmetic reasons. It does seem irresponsible and if we look at other public health debates for instance around tobacco then there seems to be a bit of a contradiction here. We are not saying with tobacco: "Well actually we'll leave it as is because it is your right to choose." In that instance we are saying: "Actually we must increase taxes." In that instance we are saying that we will do everything we can to try to make smoking less of an attractive option to people because it is such a big public health issue. Here we had an opportunity to ban sunbeds because it is such a public health issue but instead the Government is saying: "Well actually you know as long as adults are well informed if they choose to take the risk then it is up to them." So I think we have got a bit of a contradiction around public health messages being put out by that Government.The Ministry of Health—Coleman's department—said it "has been concerned for some time about the use of sunbeds in New Zealand given the clear evidence that they pose significant risk of increased skin cancers to users." The Government should have voted for the Hon Annette King's Supplementary Order Paper 80 which would have restricted sunbeds to being used for medical purposes only for persons of all ages. How difficult would that be? We are talking about public health issues here. We are talking about something that we know increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent. That Supplementary Order Paper which was put up by the Hon Annette King was a sensible Supplementary Order Paper. It just seems nonsensical that the Government would not support that.We are supporting this bill. I guess I could go on and on but I will not. Our major issue here is that the Government has not done enough in respect of the sunbed issue. Australia has been much more responsible in this regard. It is banning them and unfortunately we are probably going to be on the receiving end of all those old sunbeds that Australians are no longer allowed to use. It is very unfortunate and I think with regard to that aspect of this bill the Government should be quite embarrassed."