Brown SimeonSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you Madam Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to take a call on the Referendums Framework Bill on Part 2. I'd like to focus firstly on clause 11 of the bill which is in regards to the voting system which will be used in a referendum. It says in clause 11(1) A referendum must be conducted in accordance with the first-past-the-post electoral system." It then says "For the purposes of a referendum that system has the following features: (a) electors may cast 1 vote for 1 option: (b) the option that receives the highest number of votes is the successful option." So that essentially outlines how a first-past-the-post system works.I guess what it says to me is that the Minister of Justice is expecting or thinking about potential referendums which may have more than two options because of course in a two-option system there will be one which gets a majority and another which gets a minority. If you're going to have a vote which receives just the highest number is the Minister indicating here that there may be a vote on a question which could have multiple options of which just the highest vote is the one which actually passes?Now that's exactly how we as electorate MPs—and of course the point has been made that the majority are on this side of the House—are elected. Not all electorate MPs get a majority of the votes in their electorate; some get a minority but are elected by a first-past-the-post system because there are multiple options not just two in that voting system. So can the Minister confirm whether there will be any questions which he'll be putting before the public which will have more than just a yes/no answer required from the public and required from voters? And can the Minister also give us an assurance that there will be no other referendums other than the two which have been talked about one being the one on marijuana and the other one being the one which Parliament voted for on euthanasia?Will he as a Government commit to not putting any other referendums by Order in Council under clause 8? He's indicating yes and I hope that he will take a call and confirm that to the Parliament and to the public—that there will be no other questions. And also will he confirm that the question on marijuana will therefore be also a binary yes/no question—and if that is the case why this clause anticipates the potential for other questions which could have multiple options not just a binary yes/no particularly because the commencement clause of course says that this bill expires after the next general election which would therefore make it redundant for it just to be simply for yes/no answer questions.The second clause that I'd like to focus my contribution on is clause 32 which is around a fresh referendum. And of course a fresh referendum would occur only if the High Court declared the referendum to be void. And of course there's a process whereby people would need to petition the High Court to look into that and then a declaration to be made.Then a referendum must be held and that must be held no later than six months after the declaration that the referendum is void. It says there in clause 32(d) that "the same roll of electors must be used at the fresh referendum as was used at the referendum declared to be void" so I assume and I'd like to ask the Minister: does that mean no one enrolled in that six-month period—newly enrolled or became a resident and therefore enrolled—none of those people are therefore allowed to vote? Is it simply the same people who were enrolled at the day of an election? If you turned 18 a month after that election would you not be allowed to vote in the fresh referendum?Then in clause 32(e) it says "a fresh referendum must be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this Act with any necessary modifications and to the extent that they are relevant." Now I'm not sure what this clause actually means. Is that meaning that the referendum must be held via polling booths like an election day? Does that allow the Minister to have a postal referendum? Is there other methodology which is allowed to be used or must it be held in exactly the same way—as in the polling must take place at polling booths as per a general election where a referendum would normally happen?So those are a few questions. There are so many more questions. I'll keep reading the bill. I'm sure I'll find some more. I look forward to making more contributions on this terrible piece of legislation."