Adams Paul: Civil Aviation Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Adams Paul: Civil Aviation Amendment Bill — First Reading 
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PAUL ADAMS (United Future) 
: 
 United Future supports the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill. I must agree with the comments of John Key on unruly passengers as I am also one who has been on a plane under such circumstances. I will not bore or scare members with some of the circumstances I have seen but unruly passengers definitely are a problem on international air travel. 
I will be brief because this bill is largely technical in nature and therefore quite uncontroversial. It will in effect serve to enhance the safety and economic efficiency of airline travel in New Zealand. The bill gives legislative effects to the Australian and New Zealand mutual recognition agreements. This will enable Australian airlines to operate in New Zealand under Australian Civil Aviation Authority certification and safety oversight and a complementary measure will be passed in the Australian Parliament with regard to New Zealand airlines. This will serve to reduce regulatory barriers to aviation activity in Australia and New Zealand and therefore cut operating costs for New Zealand and Australian airlines which we welcome. So air travellers win and the airline companies win. Both countries have similar and very robust safety regulatory regimes so this measure does not give rise to any safety concerns. 
Another part of the bill implements new security measures and is in part a response to the increasing security concerns of airlines passengers and Governments in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The bill allows for the prosecution of passengers who are unruly on New Zealand aircraft or other aircraft flying to New Zealand outside New Zealand territory. Unruly actions are those excluding actual hijacking that may be considered dangerous such as threats insulting behaviour towards crew interfering with the aircraft operating cell phones when told not to being blatantly drunk—and we have just heard about that—swearing or being abusive smoking carrying dangerous goods and not obeying seating or seat belt instructions. A series of strong penalties is also included. 
This bill brings New Zealand’s aviation security laws into line with Australian Canadian and British law and it eliminates certain sovereignty-related complications that in the past have made it difficult to prosecute foreigners for offences committed outside New Zealand territory. The safety of passengers on airlines travelling both within New Zealand and internationally should be a top priority and United Future is satisfied that the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill goes a long way towards helping to ensure this. We also approve of the streamlining of provisions relating to the liability for a delay in a domestic air service that is within the airline’s control such as delaying or cancelling a flight at the last minute due to a lack of bookings. Airline customers pay enough for air travel without being subject to unwarranted delays and the extra costs these can bring with them in terms of lost productivity or simple stress. United Future commends this bill to the House.