Ross Jami-LeeJAMI-LEE ROSS (Botany): Thank you Mr Speaker. I commend you on your eyesight for being up to see this far up the back of the Chamber. It's good to be here and be able to speak. It's been a little while since I've had an opportunity to speak in this Chamber. I know a number of people never expected I would come back and speak in the Chamber—maybe some people in this Chamber sitting here right now—but I've decided to come back and contribute as the member of Parliament for Botany and I am looking forward to this opportunity to speak on the debate on the Prime Minister's statement.Can I say Mr Speaker firstly a thank you to you. I personally want to say thank you to you because you have handled the events of last year and dealt with myself in a very courteous way and I am appreciative of all of that. And I appreciate the kind comments I've received from many of the other members in this Chamber to date since coming back last week.I noticed some words that were spoken by a long-standing member of this Chamber as she finished her speech last week. She said I hope we discuss more about New Zealanders and how we deliver for them as opposed to the personalities and the insults that can be thrown around this House at times." I thank Paula Bennett for those comments. I agree with her.Having had the opportunity to see politics and see debates in this Chamber from afar for a few months it's given me a new perspective on how we debate things in this Parliament and I hope that throughout the year and next year and long term into the future this Parliament does debate issues and how we can impact New Zealanders lives and how we can progress good positive outcomes for New Zealanders.My vote will formally be cast in favour of the Leader of the Opposition's motion and opposed to the confidence motion for the Government but I have to say I do see many good things in the Prime Minister's statement that I hope are progressed for New Zealanders. One of the areas that I welcome in the Prime Minister's statement is the Government's commitment to the mental health system. I have had some personal experience recently with the mental health system and I don't intend to spend a long time in this speech talking about myself but I have to say as someone who has just recently experienced up front up close the mental health system that the people working in that system are exceptional people. They do amazing work saving the lives of New Zealanders and I thank them for the work that they do.The recent inquiry into mental health highlighted that in New Zealand 20000 people attempt suicide or attempt to take their own life every year and 520 people on average die and are successful in that. I was one of those 20000 people. Having been in a mental health facility having my liberty taken away having no cell phone I needed to seek permission to get access to food and drink; I needed to seek permission to speak to anybody in the outside world. Being in that situation really highlights to you the amazing people that work in that system and the amazing people that support New Zealanders. It also highlighted to me though as I was talking to the staff the workforce in the Counties Manukau mental health facility that they wish they could do more. They wish they could support New Zealanders more. If you're in acute distress and you're someone who has got to that very very serious point where people need to intervene in your life you get amazing access; you get amazing support. They will do everything they can for you.But what the mental health inquiry highlighted was that missing middle underneath. If you're not at the acute point you don't have great access to support. If you're not at the point where you're about to harm yourself or others then the support that should be available for New Zealanders in that situation is not there. Having read that mental health inquiry and having read some of the recommendations I hope that the Government picks that up and I hope that there's cross-party support for that. I acknowledge David Clark's advocacy on this. I think the media criticism of him that he might want to move a bit quicker probably is valid but at least there's some effort there. I also want to acknowledge Chlöe Swarbrick for everything she's doing in that area and also Matt Doocey who I know has experience in this sector and is working hard at it.I have noticed a charity that operates in Auckland. It's called Voices of Hope. It's run by two young women who have also had experience with the mental health system and their motto is "It's not weak to speak." and I think they're right. Awareness of what goes on in this country is important. Putting more effort and more funding into mental health is what we can do as politicians. It's what the Government can do. But the Government alone can't solve these issues. It's about awareness and it's about supporting New Zealanders. When it comes to those in the workplace those in charge of running a workplace and keeping people safe I think awareness in that area is also important. The mental health inquiry set a very lofty goal of increasing access from 3 percent of the population to 20 percent; that's possibly unachievable in the five years that they've suggested that should be achieved but it is a goal that we should be striving towards.One of the other areas that I want to focus on in my time here is on issues that are important to my electorate and issues that are important to New Zealanders. In question time today I raised some questions around the issue of donations and the issue of overseas influence in donations. I have to say I share the views of Dr Nick Smith when he raised just recently a suggestion that there should be a ban on foreign donations to political parties. He said—this is a quote from him—"There is the issue of funding and whether foreign Governments are either directly or indirectly through shelf companies using funds to inappropriately influence outcomes." I'm unsure what Minister Andrew Little's work programme is in this area but I know that the Electoral Act and matters to do with that are within his portfolio and I'm sure the Government has a view that New Zealand politics should be for New Zealanders.But there are some obvious holes in our framework for political party donations and some obvious holes in the Electoral Act. Nick Smith is right when he raises the question around shelf companies being used for political party donations. Our political party donation regime does require a political party to outline and disclose when they've received a donation but a donation can come from an individual—a New Zealand citizen a New Zealand resident—or it can come from a company or it can come from a trust. It is easy for those who are foreign nationals that wish to donate to a political party and have influence through those donations to use New Zealand – based companies to do so. It is possible for those living in other countries to utilise companies that might be in their own name to fund New Zealand political parties. I have to say it's time for that law to be updated.I've asked a range of written questions to the Prime Minister and other Ministers on issues like this because I am also concerned that we don't have tight enough controls on what Ministers may be doing when they're overseas. I think it's very timely that consideration is given to the way in which Ministers conduct themselves when they're on overseas travel. The Prime Minister through the Cabinet Manual has the ability to approve personal travel for Ministers to depart from an itinerary that they're on to make a personal visit. Should there be an instance where a Minister of the Crown in the past has received approval for a personal departure from their approved itinerary and met with a foreign national where political party donations have been discussed I think that's an issue that New Zealanders would be very interested in. I think New Zealanders would expect that our donation regime be strong enough to stop foreign nationals through companies that they own donating to New Zealand political parties.In my time here I'm looking forward to raising issues like this. I'm also looking forward to working on local electorate issues and I've written to Minister Twyford recently to take up his option last week of cooperating with him on a transport link between Botany and the airport. In the future I'm also looking forward to discussing issues to do with housing affordability. I think the Government that I was a part of and a member of for some time did many many good things. The economy is better because of the last National Government there are more people in jobs and debt was seriously addressed but there are some areas that I think we did fail New Zealanders—the mental health sector is one of them. I am deeply unhappy that we didn't do enough to address housing affordability for young New Zealanders into the future. And if the Government can do one thing to help young people into the future addressing mental health and also addressing housing affordability is one of those issues. Thank you Mr Speaker for the time."