Brown SimeonSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you very much Madam Chair and I'd like to take a call to speak in favour of Supplementary Order Paper 69 in the name of Chris Penk which is to include after clause 6 a new clause which includes a requirement for registered parties to have expulsion rules.I would like to just start by making the point that this bill seems to have all the characteristics of having been written up in the Green Parrot. It has none of the checks and balances which are required in good legislation and it needs a whole lot of fixing and that's why we on this side of the House are continuing to make very—Rt Hon David Carter: Drafted in the Green Parrot after midnight.SIMEON BROWN: Yeah probably in the Green Parrot after midnight as the Rt Hon David Carter says. We are continually trying to make good suggestions that the Minister should be taking up and listening to so that we can improve this bill. And we haven't heard a single call from the other side. There hasn't been a single disagreement. There hasn't been a single point made. They've continued to sit there in silence while we continue to take calls to try and urge them on behalf of New Zealanders and our democratic institutions to improve this piece of legislation. And we see that they continue to try to close down the debate while important points continue to try to be made and they are continuing to ignore them.So let me speak in favour of this important Supplementary Order Paper by my colleague Chris Penk which requires registered parties to have expulsion rules. Now we've heard the Minister try in a sense to weasel out of actually taking into account these Supplementary Order Papers but there is a clear need for these rules to be transparent and there is a clear need for the public to be able to have access to them. And the reason for that is because it is the public who elect members of Parliament to serve in this House. It is the public who elect and create the proportionality of this House and therefore the public should have some transparency and open accountability over what is actually happening inside the party rooms.We have seen and we have on record that the New Zealand First Party already has some pretty hazy rules around how they treat their members if they are to in any way attempt to act in a way which may distort the proportionality of Parliament. We've seen that their constitution includes a requirement on their members of Parliament to pay $300000 to the party if they are to in any way act in a way which distorts the proportionality of Parliament. Winston Peters said they'd signed it; then he said they hadn't. But I think they probably did because that is why they still refuse to take a call. I think it's going to cost them $300000 just to stand up and take a call because that's probably what Winston Peters considers an act which will distort the proportionality of Parliament because he's scared of one of his MPs taking a call. Even if it's a call in favour of this bill he would still see that as an act which would distort the proportionality of Parliament because he's told them It'll cost you $300000 to stand up and do so."The point here and the point of this Supplementary Order Paper is that there should be rules required in a party's constitution so that party members understand what the rules are so that members of that party who seek selection know what the rules are if they are to act in a way that might distort the proportionality of Parliament and so that the public understand what the rules are which are being used when a party leader decides to get rid of a member of Parliament who may be acting in a way which he or she thinks is distorting the proportionality of Parliament.This Government came to power saying "We will be the most open and transparent Government that has ever been in New Zealand." Well adopt this Supplementary Order Paper and show that—demonstrate it; put some actions to the words that this Government has. Put some actions to the words that this Government has because actions speak louder than hollow words which this Government continues to show. Adopt this Supplementary Order Paper and show some action. And I call to the Green Party who should be standing up for openness and transparency: adopt sensible Supplementary Order Papers which are endorsed by constitutional experts. Listen to what they have to say put them into the legislation and let's make this bill a little bit better."