Fenton Darien: Immigration Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFenton Darien: Immigration Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 11 June 2013. Volume:691;Page:10950. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DARIEN FENTON (Labour):I am happy to have an opportunity to talk to my Supplementary Order Papers but it is really important to remember where this Immigration Amendment Bill came from and Part 1 in particular. It actually started with a cabbage boat. It started with a cabbage boat when it started as a cover-up by this Government as a dog whistle when John Banks’ donations from Kim Dotcom were in the news and were causing embarrassment—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Order! Part 1.DARIEN FENTON: I am talking about boats in Part 1—it is very important to know. Also talking about mass arrivals it would be very interesting to know—Iain Lees-Galloway: The ACT Party will never again be a mass arrival.DARIEN FENTON: No that is true and it would be interesting to know whether a cabbage boat could actually contain enough cabbages to be considered a mass arrival under Part 1 of this bill. It would be interesting to hear from the Minister of Immigration on his view.Having mentioned the Minister I do want to say that I was very disappointed in his comments. He was not a Minister at the time when this bill was going through the select committee process so he was there and heard from 33 submitters who opposed this bill. [Interruption ] Oh he was not there. I do apologise Minister. But anyway it is important for the Minister to know and be reminded that 33 submitters opposed this bill—particularly the definition of “mass arrivals” and “detention”—and they were people who were very qualified to oppose this bill.But I would like to ask the Minister of Immigration what his objection is—and this is a genuine question Minister—to my Supplementary Order Paper 246 which would actually require that “where detention is deemed necessary all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the person.” That actually comes from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and from section 23(5) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act so it is putting in the legislation some comfort. If this bill passes and people make it to New Zealand—and there are a lot of ifs there may I say—and the Government is determined that detention is necessary what is wrong with treating people with humanity and with respect? What is wrong with that? I genuinely would like to hear from the Minister about why there is a problem with that. It certainly would give some comfort to many of the people who are opposed to this bill including the members on this side of the Chamber.I also want to mention again my Supplementary Order Paper 244 which is saying that where it is strictly necessary where there is a mass warrant for detention and where it is adopted as a last resort asylum seekers are housed in the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre. The Minister mentioned before that the Government has put some money into rebuilding the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre—although I will mention that it is a public-private partnership and it will be interesting to know—Hon Member: Serco.DARIEN FENTON: It will be interesting to know whether Serco is going to be part of that and exactly how that is going to be. Somebody is going to be making money out of the refugees who arrive on our shores under the United Nations convention which we have signed up to. We have agreed that 750 refugees can come to New Zealand and they actually go there to be cared for in their first 6 weeks—and may I say while I have the opportunity that they do an excellent job at the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre. To the member Mr Hayes who talked about—what was it—“economic opportunists” and anyone in the National Party who believes that I really reallystrongly recommend that they go to the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre. I strongly recommend they meet the children who have been in camps for years and years—Iain Lees-Galloway: Born in camps.DARIEN FENTON: —born in camps; babies some of them—and meet the people who have never been to school meet the people who have had to fight over food and meet the people who have been waiting for years and years and years. They are refugees but they are also asylum seekers and I want to be very clear that when we are talking about asylum seekers we are not talking about economic refugees. We are not talking about queue jumpers. We are talking about people who have the right to seek asylum. That is a major human right. People have the right to seek asylum in any country and this bill completely undermines that right and treats them as criminals before they even get off the boat and that is outrageous. It was designed as a cover-up with all—