Woodhouse Michael: Sentencing (Vehicle Confiscation) Amendment Bill Summary Proceedings (Vehicle Seizure) Amendment Bill Privacy Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Woodhouse Michael: Sentencing (Vehicle Confiscation) Amendment Bill Summary Proceedings (Vehicle Seizure) Amendment Bill Privacy Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
[Sitting date: 20 October 2009. Volume:658;Page:7271. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) 
: 
 I am pleased to take a call on the third reading of the vehicle confiscation and seizure legislation. I think despite some of the things that have been said it has pretty widespread support across the House. The reason for that is that all of us as members of Parliament and members of the public have had experience of the types of illegal street racing behaviour that this bill and its companion bill the Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill are designed to control. It has affected us all. We have certainly had constituents come and tell us about their experiences. I thank the submitters to the select committee once again for their candour their bravery and also for the clear way in which they articulated the manner in which it is affecting their communities. I think Mr Garrett talked earlier about freedom—the freedom to go and pursue those interests but without externalising the impacts of those activities on people who do not want to be involved in them. As the Minister mentioned this bill and its companion bill the Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill which we passed last night take us one step closer to a situation where members of the public I think can go about their lives without the fear and intimidation that at present exists because of this behaviour. It is a really significant step on that journey and there is no doubt that it will improve the situation but I do not think the Ministers the officials members of Parliament or the public are under any illusions that it is a magic bullet that we have come to the end of that journey and that the problem is solved because clearly it is not. 
I will just touch on two policy areas that I think the Ministers are working on and that are a work in progress. The first is the matter of noise. Noise was discussed quite a bit in the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee. It was certainly discussed in the Committee stage of the previous bill. I think noise is really the symptom of the underlying behaviour. It is not necessarily the cause of all the problems but it is a significant symptom. I am confident that some of the measures that are put in place with these two bills will reduce the impact of noise on the public but I do not think that the journey is over yet. 
The other area I will touch on is failure to stop. We have had serious representations by the police and the Police Association about failure to stop being the single most dangerous aspect of illegal street racing behaviour. That is where people are dying. I am pleased to see that an impoundment clause was added to the previous legislation. I put officials through quite stern examination of another suggestion around a mandatory 28-day licence suspension which could be added to section 128 of the Sentencing Act through this bill. It was not but I was very satisfied with the answers about why that was not possible and also encouraged by the fact that more policy work would be done in this area. 
There are other peripheral factors like alcohol in cars the issue of third-party insurance and the mass gathering and social disorder that comes with it. That is still a work in progress but I think we have taken a significant step forward. 
My last comment is addressed to the car enthusiasts themselves. We heard submissions from many law-abiding car-loving owners who said that they were simply going about their activities doing the things they love in a peaceful and legal manner. They said that they spent a lot of time and money on their vehicles and that they really enjoyed the opportunity to park up share their stories show off their cars in a legal way and do other activities. We heard from one submitter in Hamilton who suggested to us that 95 percent of car lovers are engaging in behaviour that is legal and OK and it is only a very small minority who drive illegally. Here is my message to the 95 percent: weed out the others. Get rid of them because they are bringing down the reputation of the 95 percent and they are creating a huge amount of public anxiety and fear. If the proportions are that then those law-abiding car lovers also have a responsibility to take control of their activities. I leave that as the challenge. I support this bill and I look forward to its passage.