Rutherford Tom; Brownlee GerryTOM RUTHERFORD (National—Bay of Plenty): Thank you Mr Speaker. It is a privilege for me to stand and speak for the first time in the general debate.A couple of weeks ago I lodged a new member's bill which would see convicted murderers be ineligible for parole if they do not reveal the location of their victim's body. The Concealment of Location of Victim Remains Bill provides that offenders who refuse to disclose the location of a victim's body may be denied parole. My member's bill acknowledges the additional anguish faced by families who do not have a chance to lay their loved ones to rest because of an offender's refusal to disclose the location of a victim's remains. Furthermore my bill will be another tool in the tool box to ensure our justice system prioritises victims over offenders.This bill would amend two pieces of legislation. Firstly it would amend section 9 of the Sentencing Act 2002 to include in a list of aggravating factors a sentencing court must take into account the failure of an offender to disclose the location of the body. Secondly it would also insert a new section 28A into the Parole Act 2002. This would require the Parole Board when considering an offender for release on parole to refuse parole unless the board is satisfied that the prisoner has cooperated satisfactorily in the investigation of the offence to identify the victim's location.My member's bill has been modelled on legislation from the United Kingdom and New South Wales. The United Kingdom passed similar legislation in 2020 and New South Wales in 2022. The United Kingdom law was brought due to the murder of Helen McCourt who disappeared in 1988 and whose body has never been recovered. The offender was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 16 years and was released in 2020 and died in 2022 having never revealed the whereabouts of Helen's body. Similarly New South Wales became the fifth state in Australia to introduce the legislation colloquially known as Lyn's Law" after former Sydney teacher Chris Dawson was convicted in 2022 of murdering his 33-year-old wife Lynette who disappeared from their northern beaches home over 40 years ago. The body of the mother of two has never been found. This case was documented in the widely known podcast entitled The Teacher's Pet. Both laws in the United Kingdom and New South Wales have successfully acted as incentives for those who conceal the remains of victims to front up about their whereabouts and have prevented those who refuse to do so from being released on parole. Closer to home Simon McGrath the brother of Christchurch builder Michael McGrath who was murdered by his childhood friend David Benbow in 2017 has been calling for a "no body no parole" bill to be introduced here in New Zealand. Mr Benbow was sentenced to life with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years in March of this year for the murder. However despite extensive police searches Michael's body has never been found and his family have never been given the opportunity to have a proper farewell.Recently I spoke with Michael's brother Simon about my "no body no parole" member's bill. In the coming weeks I will be meeting with Simon in person to help broaden my understanding of the situation and the anguish Simon and his family are experiencing and to say how my member's bill can support them and other families across New Zealand who do not have a chance to lay their loved ones to rest.Ultimately my Concealment of Location of Victim Remains Bill puts the victims of crime at the heart of our justice system. It is the intention of this bill to deny offenders the opportunity to return to society if they are not prepared to give their victim's family and friends the opportunity to be reunited with their loved ones. I look forward to this bill being drawn from the ballot to working with the parties across this House to seek their support to ensure our justice system prioritises victims over offenders and to giving New Zealand families the chance to lay their loved ones to rest and receive the closure they deserve.SPEAKER: The time for this debate has expired.The debate having concluded the motion lapsed."