Little Andrew: Immigration Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Immigration Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10617. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW LITTLE (Labour): Well it is not a pleasure to take a call on the Immigration Amendment Bill. The member David Bennett who has just resumed his seat said one thing that I do agree with—that none of us will disagree with—and that is that he admitted the true façade nature of this bill when he said that the Government hasno intention of acting in this way. It raises the obvious question: why are we considering this bill? It is a nasty insidious and vicious piece of legislation that will do nothing for our international reputation. It will continue the decline and degradation of our reputation under this Government. Every time we come into this House—just about every session we have had this year—there has been a piece of legislation that has been about an abuse of due process and an abuse of civilians’ rights and here is another piece of legislation doing exactly the same thing.This was a trumped-up bill connived and contrived to appeal to a very small number of the National Government’s donor base to sort of press a button to say that we are tough and we are strong and we can beat up on those people whose situation is so desperate that they flee their country of origin and undertake any means possible—go across dangerous waters—to try to wash up somewhere that will have them. That simply will not happen in New Zealand. There has never been a vessel of the type that has washed up on shores in Australia that has turned up here. They would not. The only vessel that has entered New Zealand waters unlawfully and thrown up its unwelcome passengers was the yachtOuvea carrying the French spies who then sunk theRainbow Warrior. That is about the only case. That is the only case we know of—that is the only case we know of. When you think about the treacherous waters of the Tasman there are naval boats that have not been able to make it across the Tasman. They washed up on that little island just to the east of Australia. A naval boat washed up on that island and holed itself. That was an Australian naval boat. So how is it that those other boats are going to wash up here?The clauses that I am most concerned about and that Simon Bridges ought to be deeply ashamed about—and yes he is cheering them on in this Committee—are clauses 9 and 10 which are about this Government yet again withholding basic civil and political rights that people in this country ordinarily expect. So just as the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Act (No 2) included the ousting of the courts’ jurisdiction to hear legitimate legal claims now we have it again—now we have it again—in clause 10. The right that any other refugee would otherwise have to take a claim and to have it heard by the Immigration and Protection Tribunal is to be removed under this legislation in this mad desperate rush to look tough and strong against people who are the vulnerable the dispossessed and the unfortunate. That is what the Government wants to do. That is what this bill will do. That is what this Government will do.The reputation that this Government is establishing as being in total contempt and disrespect of basic civil and political rights is continuing under this bill. It has done it before and it is doing it again in this bill. That is the tragedy. That is how unfortunate it is. It is not good for this House or for this country. This House is a House of Representatives—representing all of the people of New Zealand including those who come here in unfortunate circumstances those who are refugees and those who are asylum seekers. As a civilised nation and as part of the comity of all nations around the world we extend to all those who are here—whether they are citizens born here whether they are residents whether they come here without any nation status at all—basic civil and political rights. That is what we do as a civilised nation. Clauses 9 and 10 will eliminate those rights for those who come here whether as part of a mass arrival as this bill describes it or whatever it is. We should not be putting ourselves in that situation.This House should not be legislating in a way that removes and undermines well-established internationally recognised civil and political rights for those who are refugees in whatever form they arrive here—whether they come in ones or twos whether they come in groups of 10 or more—