Macindoe TimHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Thank you very much Mr Chair. It's wonderful to see that patience has been rewarded. These four excellent Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs) in the name of my good colleague the MP for Hutt South as Dr Nick Smith has just said are at least a small way of ensuring that Parliament can reclaim its democracy and it's as simple as that. As we have listened to this debate over different provisions going on now for some weeks—and I emphasise that it's been for some weeks which shows just how appalling this legislation is that it has had such a difficult passage through the House—the frequent factor that's been left out of the equation has been the ability to review what Parliament unfortunately looks likely to do. So in the four SOPs Mr Bishop is variously providing for a review of this appalling legislation six months after a general election firstly by a select committee in SOP 76 then by the Law Commission then by the Electoral Commission and then by the Representation Commission. I hope to have time to do justice to all four of those SOPs but let me begin with the one with which we are all most familiar and that is review by a select committee. In the 2011-14 Parliament or at least the first half of it I had the privilege of chairing the Justice and Electoral Committee. One of the important roles that that committee undertakes in each Parliament is a review of all aspects of the general election that was just completed. Why does Parliament do that? Well it's because it's so important for us to ensure that our electoral rules—the provisions in the Electoral Act—remain relevant and fair to achieving the best possible reflection of the democratic will of the people. And with each of the Justice and Electoral Committee's reviews of general elections there comes a detailed report which follows a very considered period of time when constitutional experts—and we've mentioned Graeme Edgeler today; he in recent years has always contributed very constructively to that process. But all of the constitutional experts who wish to be a part of it come to the Justice and Electoral Committee to convey thoughts on how our Electoral Act might be improved to ensure that successive general elections continue to be the very best reflection of the will of the people and in particular to encourage people to vote because it's so important that we get every single person who is entitled to vote to the polls so that the Parliament really reflects the will of the people. So in this SOP what we are asking the Government to consider is giving that select committee the chance to review this Act six months after the general election that follows its passage. I would hope that the Minister of Justice—who's been in the House for much of the time and I thank him for that—would see the merit of that because it's essentially just an extension of what we do in another capacity which the whole House agrees with. I've never heard a single member of this Parliament say that we shouldn't review the conduct and aspects of the previous general election. So Minister please adopt Supplementary Order Paper 76 so that we give the select committee the same opportunity to review this particular bill. I was disappointed when the Minister made his extraordinary claim a short time ago when we were trying to introduce rules that this was an extreme example of Tory privilege". I don't think he even understood what he was saying; it was just that he likes using that phrase and so he thought "Oh well I'll throw it in and see if I get away with it." Well if it's an example of Tory privilege for an MP on this side of the House to call for a select committee to review this Act six months after the election then I'm a proud Tory. And if that's privilege then yes I'm demonstrating my privilege now but I hope that this is a Tory privilege that the Minister of Justice will adopt because actually it's something that the whole House and the whole country would agree on.Now let me move on if I may to SOP 79 which is a review of the Act by the Law Commission. Because just as the select committee regularly conducts investigations into electoral matters—[Bell rung] Mr Chair?CHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): The Hon Tim Macindoe.Hon TIM MACINDOE: Thank you very much sir. Just as the select committee regularly examines the electoral features of this House—and we have local government and central government elections and other aspects of electoral law that come up from time to time such as the MMP referendum that we had a few years ago and the opportunity to review it back after the 2011 election—well so too has the Law Commission had a very proud record of examining matters and reporting to Parliament advising MPs on how our democratic provisions can be safeguarded. Well this particular bill of course totally undermines our democratic tradition. I am encouraged by the fact that there are now a couple of Green MPs in the Chamber people for whom I have respect who have regularly upheld our democratic provisions at their party conferences and public meetings. So I say to Mr Hughes and Ms Ghahraman: please take a call and at least assure the committee that you'll support a review by the Law Commission because I know that they are bodies for which those Green members have respect. Nobody would call into question the impartiality the integrity or the deep judicial and electoral knowledge of members of the Law Commission. They're some of the finest legal minds in the land and I thank them for the many reports that the Law Commission has produced for Parliament on a whole range of issues over many many years. In the 10 years that I've been here I can think of many and some very substantial bodies of work such as the alcohol report of a few years ago. They look at these things in detail. What we're saying in this Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 79 is: give the Law Commission the chance to review six months after a general election whether this law is working as intended whether it's fit for purpose and whether it enhances or goes against the democratic traditions of our country because I would be deeply respectful of their opinion. I would strongly anticipate that they would come to the conclusion that this is a travesty that this is an affront to democracy but they should be given the chance to decide that for themselves and to review the evidence. If the Government is seriously suggesting that somehow this is good law then surely they will be happy to give the Law Commission the chance to back that up. You'd think that wouldn't you? You would think that they would say "Well yes the Law Commission one of the most respected entities"—Hon Aupito William Sio: You look so angry Tim.Hon TIM MACINDOE: I'm not remotely angry Mr Sio but I'm deeply disappointed particularly in you sir because I thought you were better than this. I think you are the Associate Minister of Justice. Surely you sir would know with your strong values what an appalling—what an appalling—piece of legislation this is and I would hope Mr Sio that you would rise to your feet after me and say "Yes I agree with Mr Macindoe. He makes a good point. The Law Commission has an important role to play in this land and I the Hon Aupito William Sio will support that to the hilt even though I have capitulated on every other provision thus far and I will have to go back to the fine people of Māngere and explain to them why I let them down." You have let them down in the most egregious way but here you have a chance in a small way to redeem yourself by standing up for the Law Commission by standing up for the whole reason why Parliament has brought that entity into being.Hon Aupito William Sio: Come back to the bill.Hon TIM MACINDOE: I'm talking about it. This SOP is about the Law Commission Mr Sio. If you haven't read the bill please don't interject. It does you no favours at all to demonstrate your lamentable ignorance on such an important piece of electoral legislation. I have great affection for you as a person but I'm afraid my respect for you as a legislator is plummeting by the minute as I see that clearly you haven't the faintest idea what this SOP is all about. The Law Commission is the best entity.Could I now move on to SOP 77 because that is another important entity. It's all about the Electoral Commission and I know that some of the members behind me are going to pick up on this particular point and speak about it. Could I just say how impressed I have been by the energy the passion and the intelligence of all the National Party members of Parliament who have spoken but in particular single out the class of 2017 for their impassioned and energetic engagement in this debate. What a fine group of people they are and I say to each and every one of them how proud I am to stand alongside them and defend the democratic traditions of this particular party Parliament and Government. I'm so proud to know that you are here as people who will be here long after I have left this House to carry on and uphold those democratic traditions. The Electoral Commission also has that function. I will let other members of my party speak to that and to the Representation Commission in greater detail but please let's give the select committee and the Law Commission that opportunity."