Tisch Lindsay: Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and  Validation) Bill — First Reading 
Tisch Lindsay: Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and  Validation) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:628;Page:227] 
LINDSAY TISCH (National—Piako) 
: 
 National will be supporting the Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill. This is one that we will not get too excited about; it is not a very interesting bill. In fact it is amazing that there are so many people here to hear my speech this evening. 
Hon Member 
: Just keep us awake. 
LINDSAY TISCH 
: Well yes here we are. It is very important bill though because as the Minister said it does confirm and validate a range of regulations. They will be going to the Regulations Review Committee of which I was a member for some time so I do know the importance— 
Darren Hughes 
: A senior member! 
LINDSAY TISCH 
: Yes I certainly know the importance of it. I note that that committee is chaired by Dr Richard Worth one of our own—a very worthy chair. His experience and knowledge of legal matters are very important in a committee such as that. He chaired it in the last Parliament and he will be chairing it again this time so I know this legislation will be in very very safe hands. 
 This is not a very big bill; it is only about four pages. When we look at it we see there are 17 clauses in it. If we were to take out the title and commencement clauses and then look at the rest although Part 1 “General and technical provisions” has a number of clauses we see that it is really Part 2 “Confirmations and validations” that is the important part. The clauses in that part range from clause 8 through to clause 17. We will be debating those particular clauses in time but not tonight. Once the bill goes to the select committee I am sure that its members will look very closely at those 10—clauses 8 to 17—different measures. 
An interesting question arises—it is not new tonight; it has arisen before—as to why we actually go through this process when there could have been sunset clauses. I notice that a number of jurisdictions around the world are now implementing sunset clauses. Of course if this Parliament does not validate these regulations then many people and organisations will be in deep trouble. I guess that if we look at clause 13 we see that that is the key. That is probably the most important measure and the Minister did mention it. It is to do with changes to social security and I read in the explanatory note that that order which came into force on 1 April 2005—so it is retrospective; it has happened a few months ago—increases most benefits and pensions according to an increase in the all groups consumer price index of 2.7 percent. So if this Parliament decided not to pass this legislation then that increase would lapse and a number of people would be sorely affected by it. 
There is another matter that I want to bring to members’ attention and it relates to the biosecurity provision in Part 2. I said right at the beginning that we would support this legislation but it does highlight the incompetence of this Labour Government in the way that it has handled border control and the incursions that have happened. If we look at the varroa bee mite remembering that it got only as far south as Taupo we now see it extending throughout the whole of the North Island. The whole of the North Island is affected by that mite and of course it is only a matter of time before it gets down into the South Island. So border control is a very very important part of our security. It affects the bee and honey industries yet border security and border control is something we believe this Government has been lax in. The varroa bee mite is a wake-up call and when we get to the select committee and look at that provision I am sure some important measures will be debated at that point 
I also want to bring members’ attention to clause 12 which contains the prohibition on importing trout. In the Waikato Bay of Plenty and Taupo regions trout fishing is a very important part of the tourism industry—and I should have also mentioned the South Island. Clause 12 sets out the prohibition on importing trout from 7 November 2004 for a 3-year period to 7 November 2007. So that is a very important one for New Zealand. 
Once again I say National will support this legislation. In the capable hands of Dr Richard Worth I am sure it will get the due attention it deserves and those who wish to make submissions on it will be able to do so at the appropriate time. National is happy to support the bill.