Locke Keith: Crimes (Repeal of Seditious Offences) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Locke Keith: Crimes (Repeal of Seditious Offences) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:643;Page:12605] 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 First of all I would like to thank Chris Finlayson the Minister Mark Burton and also Ron Mark for the complimentary remarks they made about me and the Green Party for our stand on these issues. I think just reflecting it shows a maturity of MMP and over the last year in particular it has been the work of the smaller parties that has had a lot to do with it. But it is not just the smaller parties; there has been a maturing on many of these issues with people not just sitting in their camps and defending their position—they are genuinely listening a bit more to what others are saying. That is a very good thing for our society. That is what happened on this issue of sedition. It did not have much momentum in the Parliament a couple of years ago but it has picked up that momentum and Geoffrey Palmer had a big role to play there in addition to the role played by the smaller parties. 
I think that in respect of the highlighting of the sedition laws Parliament is reflecting more the feelings of ordinary New Zealanders because if one goes into the pubs and various meeting places in New Zealand one finds a very robust democracy where people speak in very blunt terms. A lot of eccentric people say funny things. People say outrageous things that are often very damning and critical and sometimes foreigners do not understand that. They say: “Oh why are you being so violent in your language to that other person?” and then they find the two people with their arms wrapped around each other as best mates an hour or two or a day or two later. That is the nature of our society—our democracy—and one of the reasons why it is particularly important to get rid of the sedition laws. People in New Zealand say all sorts of things like to be allowed to say those things and are tolerated for it. 
Some speakers say that Chris Finlayson should not have challenged me on the Electoral Finance Bill and that there was a sting in the tale but I welcome the challenge and I think the Green Party as a whole welcomes the challenge on such issues. It keeps us all up to the mark and we have to answer the particular points. The Electoral Finance Bill is one with so many cross-currents and issues involved and Mark Burton pointed out some of them as well. I think we should all welcome those challenges. 
It sets a better stage for discussion on matters such as the Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill which will be coming up again shortly for its second reading. I was actually quite impressed—and it was before all the latest developments around the Ureweras and whatnot—that in the first reading of the Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill there was much more considered dialogue between the different speakers than was the case when the original Act was discussed and passed back in 2002. So I think people are a bit more conscious of human rights and a little bit more conscious how those can be undermined in the current world situation and how we have to protect people and have to think about New Zealand’s interest and the interests of New Zealanders. 
I did say in my first reading speech on this particular bill if I remember correctly that in the Committee stage I might be moving an amendment on the blasphemy aspect of the Crimes Act which is another thought-crime provision but I decided not to do it at this stage because I want to take part in what I think is a celebration of our all being together on this bill and not necessarily pursue that particular track at this time. There are a few ends to be tied up in the Crimes Act as regards thought-crime but we can do that at a later time.