Bishop Chris: Returning Offenders (Management and Information) Bill — In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBishop Chris: Returning Offenders (Management and Information) Bill — In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 17 November 2015. Volume:710;Page:8148. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS BISHOP (National): I just want to start my brief remarks in this debate by picking up from where Mr Parker left off. I think it was as is typical for Mr Parker a learned contribution to the debate and there are a few areas I agree with him on.What I do disagree with him on is this issue as to whether or not the Justice and Electoral Committee will do a good job in reviewing this legislation. I am a member of that venerable committee which is chaired by Jacqui Dean and Alfred Ngaro next to me sits on that committee as well. We will do a good job in reviewing this piece of legislation. The Government does not have a majority on the Justice and Electoral Committee and actually I am surprised that Mr Parker would impugn the integrity of the committee because we will do a good job working that through.The other point I want to make is to respond to Mr Parker’s remarks about how the Government has scant regard for properly calibrating the balance between civil liberties and public safety. Actually if they read the section 7 report that the Attorney-General has provided to the House members will find that officials have done a very good job in a short space of time of drafting this bill in a way that strikes that right balance—so much so that only one very minute part of this bill conflicts unjustifiably with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and that is the section around DNA sampling.Finally I want to pick up on Mr Clendon’s remarks about how the New Zealand Parliament is the fastest lawmaker in the west. This is something that Geoffrey Palmer said a few years ago. That was definitely true back in the days of Rob Muldoon you know when we had the Economic Stabilisation Act. I think it was Sir Robert who said you could do anything in this country as long as you hang your hat on economic stabilisation. When we had that Act which allowed the Minister of Finance—who at the time was the Prime Minister—to literally do anything to the New Zealand economy through the stroke of a pen under regulations passed through the Executive Council that was certainly true but that has been repealed. We now have MMP and so it is a lot harder for Governments to do things.But it is certainly true—and this is why this is relevant to this bill—that every legislature around the world retains the ability to do things quickly. Every Parliament retains the ability to do things expeditiously under urgency—call it whatever you like. Every Parliament has that ability. Why? Because sometimes you get circumstances like we have before the House today. Sometimes it is necessary to move fast and pass laws. Sometimes it is necessary to get a framework and have Parliament move quickly to put that in place. That is certainly true when it comes to this situation. It has been well canvassed by members particularly on this side of the House as to why it is necessary to move quickly. It has been well canvassed why we do need to pass this bill as quickly as we can. The officials have done a good job. And finally in closing this debate I want to say that this is a Government that stands up proudly for New Zealanders this is a Government that stands up for the rights of Kiwis in Australia and it is necessary that we pass this bill. And with that I commend this bill to the House.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Before I put the question I will quickly summarise a ruling that I made yesterday on the understanding that there are members in the House who wish to abstain from voting. Normally one can call for a party vote only when one is opposed to the decision but that unfortunately leaves us in a position where abstentions where there is not otherwise a division cannot be recorded. So what I did on the first reading and what I will do on this reading is that I will indicate that there is to be a party vote on this question.