O'Connor Damien: Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
O'Connor Damien: Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
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Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister for Racing) 
: 
 I rise to support my colleague Steve Chadwick the sponsor of this bill and I am pleased to follow the speech made by Dr Hutchison. When the bill is passed tonight with the support of members from right across the House it will be great news for the vast majority of New Zealanders and I take this opportunity to congratulate the people who have been involved in bringing it to this stage including Tukoroirangi Morgan and Judy Keall. I also congratulate all the public health workers many of whom are here tonight on their efforts. 
I start by saying that I smoked for 10 years—in my younger sillier days—and then was fortunate enough to be able to give up the habit. I started out probably not as a person who was absolutely committed to this bill being the way forward but having sat on the Health Committee for a year under Judy Keall listening to submissions from the top to the bottom of this country and hearing the evidence I can say that it is undeniable and irrefutable that second-hand smoke kills people in New Zealand. 
Each year almost 400 people die from second-hand smoke; over 4500 New Zealanders die annually from smoking itself. We all know family members who have lost their lives to smoking-related illnesses. We must do everything possible to eliminate that misery and waste. This bill is about protecting all New Zealanders from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke in our workplaces schools pubs bars and of course other public social areas. 
The arguments put up by the Opposition on this bill are no doubt the same ones that were used back in 1990. As the previous speaker said the sky did not fall in. Entertainment venues have continued and prospered but they can do better. There has been much rhetoric and scare tactics about the potential economic impacts of this bill and I am aware of the frustration and anger felt by some bar owners who perceive that the legislation will spell financial disaster for them. Right across New Zealand publicans have expressed to me the worries they have about the viability of their businesses. However I think the legislation presents more opportunities than problems. 
A bar on the West Coast the Blackball Hilton has been smoke free for almost 8 years. In the heart of good Labour West Coast families it has prospered and been smoke free. The passage of this bill will promote an environment in which families can bring their children to restaurants without the nuisance of second-hand smoke. It is a chance for non-smokers up and down this country who shy away from bars to enjoy themselves without being exposed to the dangers of second-hand smoke. It is a chance for restaurant and bar owners to increase their revenue and commercial opportunities. A recent example we have read about is the Loaded Hog cafe in Auckland’s viaduct basin. That cafe has increased its takings by 15 percent since instigating a smoke-free Tuesday night. To prove my point more family groups are choosing to visit such establishments. The reality is that there is a huge groundswell of support for the provisions that will be passed with this legislation tonight. 
It is important to remind bar owners who are concerned that this bill will have a huge impact on them that international evidence says otherwise. In New York hotel revenues have increased for the first time in 3 years in a smoke-free environment after some very difficult and challenging times. Polls there show overwhelming support for its new smoke-free workplace law. In California the results are stunning. Not only are bar revenues up but more important there has been a significant improvement in the health of hospitality workers. That is the key the No. 1 objective of this bill. 
In Australia Victoria’s smoke-free laws are proving to be so successful that Australian Capital Territories announced it will be smoke free by 2006. The states of Queensland Tasmania and Western Australia are reviewing their legislation. I visited a Minister of Health in New South Wales who was enthusiastic about our actions over here and about the passage of this bill and wanted a copy of it. I am sure we will see progress in New South Wales in the near future. Ireland the place my ancestors left to come to this country and a place associated with smoking and the consumption of alcohol will implement smoke-free pubs as from 1 January 2004. If Ireland can do it we can do it here—and make a success of it. 
As we travelled up and down the country one of the concerns expressed by submitters from both sides of the debate was the need to have a level playing field. Whatever came out of the bill it was important that every hospitality establishment was provided with equal opportunity into the future and without there being any disadvantage imposed on one group or the other. I believe that a great strength of the bill is that we have provided a level playing field. It means we have included sports clubs Returned Services Associations recreational clubs—any venue in fact where workers are employed. The bill makes no exceptions. Its one-size-fits-all approach will be fair to proprietors and workers and it will be easier for the public to adopt. 
There are many detractors of the bill who do seem to miss the point. The point is that we want to improve the health of New Zealanders and this Government is happy to support the efforts of Steve Chadwick through this member’s bill to achieve that. It has advantages for young people for Maori for Pasifika and of course for families as a whole. As was the previous speaker I am disappointed in Mr Dunne’s approach to this bill. Mr Dunne is a very good coalition partner and for the most part he does promote common-sense policies. However he has missed the mark on this one and I am disappointed. If California is anything to go by the bill will have the spin-off effect of encouraging more people to adopt smoke-free practices at home and encourage more people to enjoy hospitality venues that are free of smoke. We need to set a good example for our young people and we need to provide them with a safe environment in the future. 
I thank Steve Chadwick and I endorse this bill through the House. I congratulate her on all her efforts in recent times. Once again I thank and acknowledge all those people in the public sector for their efforts. In particular I thank Judy Keall who has always been passionate about protecting the health of New Zealanders through such legislation. It will be a pleasure to see this bill pass through the House.