Goff Phil: Appointments — Ombudsman and Chief Ombudsman Deputy Controller and Auditor-General Independent Police Conduct Authority Abortion Supervisory CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGoff Phil: Appointments — Ombudsman and Chief Ombudsman Deputy Controller and Auditor-General Independent Police Conduct Authority Abortion Supervisory Committee[Sitting date: 16 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6757. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PHIL GOFF (Labour—Mt Roskill): Labour supports the reappointment of Dianne Macaskill and the appointment of Simon Murdoch as members of the Independent Police Conduct Authority. The Independent Police Conduct Authority is an important body. It is Parliament’s and the public’s watchdog over the police to ensure that the police always meet the standards that we properly expect of them. The role of the body is to receive complaints against the police. It investigates incidents involving death and serious bodily harm as a result of police actions and it monitors the conditions of detention and treatment of detainees in police custody.The word “independent” has been deliberately written into the title of the authority. In fact that was happening at the point that I was Minister of Justice between 1999 and 2005. It is important to emphasise the independence of this authority both from the Government and from the New Zealand Police. It provides assurance both to the police and to the general public. Its members therefore are accountable to this Parliament for the use of taxpayer funding and the appointments to this body are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of Parliament rather than the executive wing of Government.The conditions governing the operation of the authority and the quality of the membership of the authority are really important to ensure that public trust and confidence in the police is ongoing. I need to say that I think that we are very fortunate in New Zealand to have a police force that by and large maintains the qualities of integrity and professionalism that we expect of the police in this country. This is a country that respects the rule of law and the upholding of individual rights.The chair of the authority is always a judicial figure and the chair since I think about 2012 has been Sir David Carruthers as a judge of the District Court. He is a man whom I have worked with for many years and a person whom I have total confidence in a person who is widely respected.Equally the two members whose appointments we are now considering before the House are high-quality nominees. Dianne Macaskill was the Deputy Government Statistician from 1996 to 2001. She then went on to be chief executive of Archives New Zealand from 2001 to 2009. She is a specialist in strategic leadership and in general and information management. She has also been a member of the audit and assurance committee for the Ministry of Education. She is recommended for reappointment for a further 3 years and Labour supports that appointment.The new member recommended for appointment is Simon Murdoch. Both as an MP and as a Minister I have worked with Simon Murdoch for many years in a range of capacities in which he has acted. I first knew him as the head of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under a National Government and that was a role that I think he carried out with extraordinary competence. He then went on to be New Zealand’s High Commissioner in Australia—again a role that he performed with distinction—and for much of the time that I was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade he was the Secretary of Foreign Affairs through from I think about 2002 to 2009. Working with him I found him to be highly professional and a dedicated civil servant who performed competently and with integrity. He was respected by both those who worked for him and those whom he worked for. On behalf of the Labour Party I have no hesitation in supporting the recommendation that he should be appointed as an Independent Police Conduct Authority member.In conclusion these nominees are people whom I believe can be relied upon to provide the independent oversight to ensure we have a disciplined accountable non-corrupt and non-politicised police force that maintains public trust and confidence. I support the recommendations.