Hague Kevin: Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Anzac Day Trading Hours for Licensed RNZRSA Clubs) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHague Kevin: Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Anzac Day Trading Hours for Licensed RNZRSA Clubs) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 06 April 2016. Volume:712;Page:10263. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]KEVIN HAGUE (Green): In my contribution on the first reading I spoke about the process for this bill which I consider to be profoundly unsatisfactory. I assure the House that the Green Party will be working to ensure that it does not set a precedent for other legislation. I want to talk now about some of the substance.The reason for the special treatment that we convey in our law for Anzac Day and in particular for the morning of Anzac Day is the need to commemorate the war dead and those who sacrificed much on our behalf to express our respect and for a ritual indeed of respect. The reason that RSAs wish to be able to serve alcohol on Anzac Day morning is also that respect and commemoration. So the exemption that would normally apply on Anzac Day morning ought to be reversed for the position of the RSAs.In general the Green Party has been concerned about trying to strike the correct balance in alcohol legislation between autonomy over an individual’s body and their freedom of choice and protecting society from the harm associated with alcohol.In general in alcohol-related legislation we are concerned to minimise the harm caused by alcohol and one of the ways that that can best be done is by restricting the number of outlets and the number of hours that alcohol is available to the community. There is clear evidence that that reduces the harm that eventuates from the consumption of alcohol. So we believe that the Act that this bill amends did not go far enough in restricting supply—I want to place that on record.I also want in this contribution to contrast our position on this bill with the position that we took on the last bill amending the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act which was the one to remove entirely the need for special licences in relation to Rugby World Cup games. That bill applied to all licensed premises and made a very major extension in licensed hours and we believed that that extension went too far. In contrast this bill applies to only a very small subset of licensed premises and makes one brief annual extension of licensed hours and we believe that that is appropriate.I want to just briefly note our concern that the explanatory note of this bill is quite dismissive of alcohol-related harm and we believe that that is inappropriate. There are many people who are returned service people who came back from the War or came back from their active service having sustained a damaged relationship with alcohol—or indeed with other drugs—and I want in this contribution to salute those RSAs and other organisations that are actively taking steps to try to reduce that damage and reduce that harm and that implement effective harm-reduction steps in their licensed premises. I believe that they deserve this House’s support.In closing I want to record that the Green Party along with I think every other party in this House does not begrudge those returned service people a drink on Anzac Day morning. So to them I say “Cheers.”