Hipkins Chris: Gambling Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHipkins Chris: Gambling Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Reading[Sitting date: 24 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1854. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka): I am very happy to take a call on this bill. It says much about the current Government’s priorities when it comes to problem gambling that this bill has been sitting on the Order Paper or slowly making its way through the House for 8 years. It was introduced by the last Labour Government and it is not the slightest priority for the current National Government. Actually the Government pays only lip service to reducing problem gambling because when an opportunity comes to increase problem gambling so that it can get a convention centre in Auckland it does not hesitate to take that up with its dodgy deal with Skycity.I was particularly interested in Part 2 where the bill talks about what an increase in casino gambling actually is. It gives clear responsibility for making those decisions to the Gambling Commission. Why does it do that? It is because it believes that those decisions should be made independently of political considerations and that decisions around increasing casino-related gambling should be made independently of Government. What the Government has not put in this bill is the little rider that says “except when it comes to a deal with Skycity”.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! This is not just about casinos; this is about—CHRIS HIPKINS: I raise a point of order Mr Assistant Speaker.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): No we have followed this one through. I ask the member to come back to the bill. It is not about deals with Skycity and convention centres; it is about class 3 licences. If you are referring to Part 2 it refers to the Gambling Commission. I ask the member to come back to those specific points.CHRIS HIPKINS: I will read the clause. The clause that I am referring to says: “Decisions on what constitutes an increase in the opportunities for casino gambling are a function of the Gambling Commission.” They are not a function for Government. So if the Government decided to increase casino gambling in order to get a free convention centre—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! I will warn the member. We are not talking about anything to do with casinos and convention centres. The member will come back specifically to problem gambling and the Gambling Commission. Those are the points that I want the member to concentrate on.CHRIS HIPKINS: The Gambling Commission is tasked with reducing problem gambling. One of the ways it does that is it is given the authority to determine what constitutes an increase in casino gambling. The Skycity convention centre deal—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! [Interruption] Order! If the member mentions the convention centre again I will terminate his speech. Come back to the content of the debate.CHRIS HIPKINS: You’re wrong—you’re wrong. You are absolutely wrong. That is an abuse of your position.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! The member will stand and apologise for those comments.CHRIS HIPKINS: No.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): If the member does not apologise for those comments I will ask him to leave.Chris Hipkinswithdrew from the Chamber.