O'Connor Damien: Freedom Camping Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
O'Connor Damien: Freedom Camping Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 11 August 2011. Volume:674;Page:20571. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Labour) 
: 
 The Freedom Camping Bill is typical of what the Minister for the Environment has brought to this House. It is a reactionary political posturing bill that attempts to get a few votes down in his own patch because a few people have jumped up and down about it. The reality is that this bill will not address the problem we have across the country because we have inadequate infrastructure. That is the fact of the matter. Hundreds of thousands of people travel around this country in cars each and every day and when they stop at a rest stop—or anywhere—because there are no facilities they often use the bushes for a toilet. It is inappropriate and not what we want—I accept that—but this bill which addresses just the issue of campervans staying overnight is ridiculous. It will not address the problem we have here. 
The Tourism Industry Association went around the country looking at this issue and it said: “strong clear and targeted camping information is the cornerstone for achieving responsible camping practices in New Zealand. Developing a culture of environmental care underpinned by national and local visitor-friendly information is the key to addressing this.” 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: We’re doing that. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: No he is not. No he is not doing that. That Minister has cut funding from the Department of Conservation. The Government has cut funding from the Sanitary Works Subsidy Scheme that assisted local councils to put facilities in place. It is absolutely—I am not allowed to use the word am I? No no. There is an “h” word. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No no. The member will not use a circumlocution to get around what he is trying to say. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: Sorry. This jackboot Government has double standards in this area. There are a whole lot of issues that this bill will not address. I pointed to the number of people in cars. This bill will not help them. I was at a meeting the other day at which the local council person turned around to the Department of Conservation person and asked who will be policing this law. Who will be the poo police? Will it be the Department of Conservation or will it be the local council? Can the Minister answer that? Who will be the poo police? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: The bill makes it very clear. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: Oh really? The bill makes it clear. Well it is not known whether the cost will be to councils or the Department of Conservation let alone the legal issues involved in trying to address it. 
I will finish because I do not want to carry on for too long. The main problem has been campervans dumping and emptying their tanks. That has been the major issue; it is not the little pile and the little bit of white paper. In fact when people go to locations—and I know many of them—the issue is when campervans have dumped large amounts of effluent in one place. The people in the campervans most likely have not even stayed in that place. They most likely have not stayed in that place but as they get towards the end of their trip because there are an inadequate number of dumping stations for these campervans they often—too often—dump their effluent in inappropriate places. That is the problem and this bill will not address that. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: It does. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: Well no more than currently where we have littering bills. I have to say that as much as I support the submitters who came along in good faith and said that this is an issue that needs to be addressed the Government has cut funding to the organisations that should be implementing higher environmental standards and it refuses to bring in a nationwide programme of up-rating upgrading and installing facilities to deal with the problem. This legislation is cheap posturing by that member who got on the front page of his local paper saying what a wonderful bill it would be. Mark my words: in 3 years’ time this legislation will not have addressed the issue of effluent up and down this country because we have inadequate facilities. It is about time we got on and put them in place.