Mackey Moana: Electoral Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMackey Moana: Electoral Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 17 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13438. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MOANA MACKEY (Labour): Well we are very beholden to the Government whip Tim Macindoe for sitting up in his office with his crayons and colouring in a pretty document for us none of which changes the fact that the National Party absolutely did not want to get rid of the coat-tailing provisions. None of those members have been able to tell us why the coat-tailing provisions should remain in place given that the No. 1 issue under the MMP review for voters was that they wanted to see those provisions go. We did not hear anything from any of the National speakers as to why the biggest party in this Parliament the National Party which implemented the MMP review and then completely refused to listen to those who participated in that review did not deal with the single biggest issue for voters when it came to the tweaks that they wanted to see in a system that they largely liked and had voted to keep in place at the last election.There is much in this bill that is very good and much in this bill that is very sensible but unfortunately there are a number of things in this bill that are completely ridiculous. I do want to come back to the issue of the banning of rosettes ribbons and streamers on election day. As my colleague Andrew Little said this is not about not electioneering on election day because that is illegal. You cannot do that. So if the concern that members have is that people do not want electioneering on election day well you cannot do that under the law. But I would ask the National Party about early voting. If that is its big concern—that it is far too intimidating to have all those party colours there and that no one should be influenced in any single way—does that mean that National does not support early voting when people are voting right in the heat of the campaign period? Are those people being intimidated? Are those people somehow being influenced in a way that is inappropriate? Silence. Exactly—because they are not.I sat there wondering why it is that the National Party wants to ban ribbons on election day because it just seemed to be utterly ridiculous. What was the point? Then we had Scott Simpson the chair of the Justice and Electoral Committee kindly give us the reason why. It is that ribbons are intimidating. It is that voters on election day will see a ribbon or a streamer and will be intimidated. Well it is nice to know the actual reason. That is completely ridiculous and just unbelievable.The reality is that National does not have the number of troops out on the ground on election day that the Labour Party has. It does not have the number of people going around turning out the vote reminding people that it is election day and asking them whether they are ready to vote. Also of course we assist people in getting to polling booths if they are unable to get there for themselves. People want to see when you turn up on the doorstep that you have a got a Labour rosette on. They know that you are the person that they have called to come and assist them to get to a polling booth. Well the National Party wants to take that away because it says that ribbons streamers and rosettes are intimidating. Well if they are so intimidating then why are we continuing to allow them at the polling booth? Surely if they are so intimidating that voters cannot be exposed to them on election day why are they still allowed in polling booths then?It highlights the absolute ridiculousness of this particular provision because we have early voting now. We are not allowed to electioneer on election day. If you look around the world in fact New Zealand is fairly unique in having the great restrictions that we place on election day. I am not saying that that is not a good thing but of course in Australia just across the Ditch it is full-on electioneering right up to the time that the polls actually close. Again I come back to the issue of early voting. As we go furtherdown that path and as more New Zealanders take the opportunity to vote early rather than on election day then I guess it just really highlights the ridiculousness of singling out one day over all the others.It was interesting to hear the Hon Judith Collins. She said that when you go on to someone’s doorstep you are intimidating them. Well I shudder to think what Judith Collins does on—Hon Judith Collins: I did not say that. Don’t lie.MOANA MACKEY: I am not lying Ms Collins. That is what you actually said. What you actually said in response to my colleague’s speech was that “You shouldn’t go on to the doorsteps—stop intimidating people.” Well I do not know what Judith Collins does on the doorsteps when she is out doorknocking—I shudder to think—but I can absolute reassure her that we do not intimidate people on the doorstep. People are pleased to see the Labour Party turn up on their doorstep particularly on election day to remind them that it is election day and to help them get to a polling booth if they want to vote. So I think that the Minister really should reflect on the comments she has made and if she regrets them now then I am quite happy for her to take them back—quite happy for her to take them back.There is much in this bill that is good. As colleagues have pointed out it is a shame that the provisions of the MMP review were not fully implemented—