9. Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill—CommentaryHon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) to the Minister of JusticeElectoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill—Commentary9. Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) to the Minister of Justice: Does he agree with the statement on the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill made by Greens co-leader Marama Davidson on Friday that it is a bill which is undemocratic" and that this bill threatens democracy?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice): Kia orana e Te Vaa Tuatua. Marama Davidson is free to express her view but this Government has agreed on one thing about this bill and that is that the fundamental democratic principle is that the electorate decides the make-up of Parliament not individual MPs.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Does he accept that a majority of this Parliament oppose his bill?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: No.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Does he agree with the statement by founding Green co-leader the late Rod Donald on a previous electoral integrity bill that it was "the most draconian obnoxious anti-democratic insulting piece of legislation ever"—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: I think I know where the member's going. I want to hear the end of the question first to see if it does get into order.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Does he agree with the statement by founding Green co-leader the late Rod Donald on a previous electoral integrity bill that is was—and I quote from Hansard—"the most draconian obnoxious anti-democratic insulting piece of legislation ever inflicted on Parliament" which is now to become law only with the votes of the Green Party?Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member is asking a question—for which the Minister cannot be responsible—about a previous bill that came into this House something like 17 years ago and then seeks to get it within the Standing Orders by mentioning the current legislation and he can't do that.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Speaking to the point of order—SPEAKER: No I am prepared to deal with it. The question is about a matter of policy rather than the detail of a particular bill and the Minister is responsible for the policy. He will answer the question.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Apart from not understanding what "abnoxious" means the answer to the question is no.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Does his bill address the situation where MPs state one thing but vote for the exact opposite and does that fit within the definition of integrity in his bill?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The circumstance that that member has just described applied to National Party MPs in the Greens' medicinal cannabis member's bill earlier this year but—Hon Dr Nick Smith: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question is not about the medicinal cannabis bill. It is about the electoral integrity bill for which he has responsibility.SPEAKER: And if the member made that clear rather than asking a general question then I would have—Hon Dr Nick Smith: I'd be happy to restate the question.SPEAKER: No I'm not going to ask the member to ask it again. Andrew Little start your answer again.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The circumstance that that member just referred to was precisely the circumstance that applied to a number of National MPs in the debate over the Green Party's member's bill on medicinal cannabis earlier this year. Notwithstanding that I don't agree with the proposition that that member has just put."