Kuriger BarbaraBARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki - King Country): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's a pleasure to speak on and support this bill tonight and acknowledging in doing so the contribution of former member Alastair Scott and also Nick Smith who had some very passionate views in this area having been through some experiences with parents who had lost a son in particular and probably others. In speaking to this bill tonight I'd also like to mention the Porteous family and others from Taranaki who went through an awful experience a few years ago where there were seven people killed in one accident and they were part of four innocent parties in one car and they had actually been killed by someone under the influence of drugs driving a vehicle. That driver was killed two members of the driver's family were killed and there was only one person in that car that survived. There are some very sad tragedies that happen. So our thoughts are with everyone who's lost family members in tragic circumstances and particularly around the context of why we're supporting this bill tonight.Beyond that I'm just a little amused at what I've seen since I've been in the House tonight. It's not very often that I watch the Green Party and the ACT Party collaborating on something so that's just been a little bit interesting. But what's really bemusing for me is that in December 2019 the then Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter said I intend to introduce a bill to the Parliament early next year to enable oral fluid drug testing to begin in 2021." Well here we are in 2021 and the bill was supposed to have been passed by now. We're up to the second reading so at least that is some progress but you know what's even worse is that when presented with advice Julie Anne Genter claimed random roadside saliva testing was "too intrusive" and "extremely expensive" and rejected the officials' proposal.This is something that often we see with members of the Green Party who live in a world that tends to be rather idealistic and then when the science is applied to the ideas that they come up with and they're given some science and they're given some official advice at the end of the day they turn round and go "Well that wasn't such a good idea because something we were proposing that we thought was a good idea might actually backfire on us so we decide it's not such a good idea any more." So I'm not sure how confused Julie Anne Genter is over all of this. I know we do have to be careful with regulations and we do have to be careful with what we're proposing and we do have to know that the drug testing is doing the right thing but science will do that. And we're hearing in the House tonight that there are ways and means around that—doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious but it doesn't mean that you can completely do an about turn when you don't like the advice that you've been given because it backfires on your good intentions in the first place. So I have to wonder in proposing this legislation in the first place how much homework that Minister did at the time because she should've taken that advice and decided what was the right course of action for her as a Minister before she actually got up and proposed it.But having said that we are pleased now that it's back in the House. It is good to be standing here and supporting the bill. National believes we should've just got straight on and changed the law as soon as the advice was given. We do note that this Government has chosen to delay it but nevertheless we're here now. We're supporting it and we'll work our way through the next stages of the bill because in the end too many families are losing loved ones. We have regimes for driving under the influence of alcohol and this is the next step in the process. We all know that drugs can be a pretty serious scourge on our world anyway let alone somebody getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and driving a car. So it's a pleasure to support this bill. Thank you."