Coddington Deborah: Civil Aviation Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Coddington Deborah: Civil Aviation Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
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DEBORAH CODDINGTON (ACT) 
: 
 The ACT party is also supporting this Civil Aviation Amendment Bill. It is unfortunate that my colleague Rodney Hide is taking TVNZ to task at the moment as I am sure he would otherwise have loved to come down here and talk about civil aviation. Unlike the National Party we also support Supplementary Order Paper 180 because— 
Peter Brown 
: Who didn’t? 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: I was told that the National Party was not supporting the— 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: The National Rescue Coordination Centre didn’t. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: I want to talk about the National Rescue Coordination Centre for a minute because the matter could have been introduced in separate legislation. I understand it is slightly unusual for it to be included in this Supplementary Order Paper but I think it is important to say these things to show the people out there that we do not always fight and delay legislation in this House. If that matter were introduced in separate legislation it would have considerably delayed the passing of legislation leading to greater coordination of our search and rescue centre. 
That matter arose out of the tragedy in Oamaru where I think four or five men drowned. There were delays and there was confusion because of funding mechanisms and the lack of coordination. The review said that if the things now outlined in the Supplementary Order Paper were done the service would not be so dysfunctional in the future. I am pleased that has been able to be introduced and is to be passed in this Supplementary Order Paper. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: National won’t let that happen. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: Surely there are sufficient numbers? 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: No it cannot be put in unless there is approval. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: Oh. 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: You’re on 1 percent. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: I just wonder whether that member is naturally nasty or whether he goes home and practises every night because he obviously has not listened to a word that I have been saying. He should clean out his taringa. 
The other area of this bill I would like to address is the part that covers offensive language and behaviour and unruly passengers. We went over that issue when we were hearing submissions in the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee and we heard from members of the airline crew union. It is interesting to look at how the public perceives airline crew. They get a lot of unwarranted flak. They are perceived as trolley-dollies lolly-lovers and waitresses in the sky. In fact they are responsible for the safety of all passengers even when there is no emergency. It is true to say that most responsible passengers look to airline crew as the people who will be there when they need help. 
Some of the behaviour that airline crew are required to put up—with the language and sexual harassment they are subjected to by passengers—is absolutely outrageous. I do not think it should be tolerated and I was one of the people who recommended that the fines be increased for a breach of that clause. I am pleased to see that the maximum penalty is now $5000 because I think there should be a deterrent to passengers behaving like that when those people are paid to look after us and make sure we are safe. 
The other area we amended was the exemption of intoxicated persons on the grounds of medication. We all have stories about intoxicated people on airplanes. They not only upset the other passengers but make it a nightmare for the aircrew who cannot throw them off the plane like they can be thrown out of a restaurant. The crew has to put up with them until the end of the flight and so does everybody else. I thought that exempting an intoxicated person on the grounds of medication was too loose as someone could come up with any sort of medication they were taking or any sort of doctor’s certificate. That area has been tightened up to clarify the situation so that the offence is excusable only if the person is intoxicated as a result of medication that has been prescribed in accordance with medical authorisation. 
Hopefully this bill will be passed and will provide an incentive for people to behave better on aeroplanes and treat the airline crew with more respect than they currently get. It is respect that they deserve. The ACT party supports this bill.