Brown Simeon; Tolley AnneSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you very much Madam Chair for the opportunity to take a short call on the Maritime Powers Extension Bill which this Government is progressing through Parliament and a very good bill it is drafted under the National Government. And I'd like to just congratulate the parties on the other side of this House for actually taking the issue of drugs seriously for once because what we've seen is that they have been talking about it as a health issue but it's good to see this bill taking a law and order approach to drugs and taking it seriously and trying to crack down on the suppliers of the drugs.We do have to remember when talking about drugs and drug harm that there are suppliers and there are users and the appropriate response to those supplying drugs is to crack down on them and to take it seriously. And that's exactly what this bill does in implementing our international obligations to play a part as a country in terms of our maritime area our exclusive economic zone and ensuring that we do the right thing.So I've just got a couple of questions that I'd like the Minister to take. Firstly this is in jest but I noticed that the bill refers to the high seas". I was wondering initially whether that was something which was just added in humour. However I did note that it is defined in new section 12D(8) inserted by clause 7 that the "high seas means all parts of the sea not included in—(a) the internal waters territorial sea or exclusive economic zone". So I had that one clarified so I don't need a response in terms of that issue.But I do want to ask in terms of the definition of "prohibited equipment or material means" what is referred to as a "precursor substance"? It talks about the means—there's two definitions for prohibited equipment or material. One is a "precursor substance". The second is "any equipment or material other than a precursor substance that is capable of being used in or for the commission of an offence under section 6(1)(b)". So the question relates to what is defined—I can't find a definition of a precursor substance possibly that might be defined in another Act or in another piece of legislation but I would find that quite helpful to have a definition of a precursor substance because I guess the question relates to whether this is targeting the chemicals which are used in creating or cooking drugs or whether this is actually the drugs themselves. I mean we know what comes across our borders whether that's via ships or other maritime vessels or which come off planes and land at Auckland Airport in the early hours. We know that they come across not only as precursor substances if that's the definition as sort of the chemical compounds which get turned into a drug which is then peddled on the street but we also know they come across as drugs themselves in their pure form. There are many examples where customs and biosecurity are doing their diligent work at the border to ensure that we get as much of that as possible.Part of that as Mr Bennett has very helpfully laid out today is the importance of the dogs—and of course I know we're talking about the maritime part of this supply issue. However we know that we have to crack down on both the precursor substances if I'm correct in the chemical compounds which then get turned into different drugs and we also have to crack down on the actual drugs themselves which come across the border.So that's the first part the precursor substances and then it talks about "any equipment or material that is capable of being used in or for the commission of an offence". I guess that's a very wide definition and I guess that's used to define a wide range of different objects and items and machinery etc. I guess the question there is whether the Minister in the chair Kris Faafoi is satisfied that that is wide enough. Is it wide enough to catch everything which comes through across our water? What advice have the officials provided to the Minister in regards to that? I guess it's focused there on equipment and material other than precursor substances. Is this wide enough to also look to the future for what else might be coming down the pathway?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): I do apologise to the member: I didn't interrupt him but of course dogs could well be used on boats."