Little AndrewThird ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice): I move That the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill be now read a third time.I'm pleased that this bill will now very soon become law. This is long overdue. The law that this bill seeks to change is a law that should never have changed in 2010 the way that it did. It was a nasty insidious little thing. It does nothing about prisoner rehabilitation. It did nothing about reducing the numbers of victims of crime. It was just a silly stupid meaningless gesture. A member's bill admittedly but which every member of the National Party at that time in Parliament—including some members opposite—voted for. It has done absolutely nothing for prisoners or for victims. Whichever side of the debate you think the sort of mindless dichotomous debate is it does nothing for any of them.This law will restore the right to vote of those sentenced to less than three years because of a very simple principle. At the time of an election for somebody sentenced to less than three years they will be out before the next election. It might be in a month it might be in 18 months but they will be out before the next election and they must have a right to have a say on those running the country that they are about to be released free into. It's not an attack on victims as some members have tried to argue. If they were really serious about victims they would have done a way lot more than they actually did in Government. They would have had a Chief Victims Advisor that wasn't working two half-days a week but working full time as she now is. They'd start putting together a package of reform for victims strengthening their voice in the system of which they are a bystander at the moment. But they did none of that. They beat their chests but they don't mean it. But this is about restoring some integrity to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and to the idea that voting is important and that when you are free—or going free into a country being released free into country—you have a right to have a say on those who are running the country for you. There are members opposite I know whose track record on democracy and voting is absolutely atrocious. The Hon Dr Nick Smith introduced legislation—and saw it pass—that took away the right of Cantabrians to vote for their regional council. And he stands up here and lectures us on democracy. That is the outrage—that is the outrage.But here is the important point. Here is the important point: people do wrong and they cause harm and sometimes those who do wrong and cause harm wind up in prison. Now judges make a judgment about the level of culpability and there are those who wind up in a sentence of less than three years. There are some people who might commit the same act and are sentenced to a non-custodial sentence but for doing the same thing. It's a point that actually Andrew Geddis and Graeme Edgeler pointed to in their submission on this bill—the arbitrary nature of these sorts of judgment calls. In any event for many years and at least certainly from 1993 when the then National Government—a way more progressive lot than the current bunch sitting in the Opposition benches—passed the law that gave prisoners sentenced to less than three years the right to vote that was the settled position for a long time—until the National Party backbencher in 2010 thought they'd try and score some points and earn their stripes. That person lasted one term so it didn't do them any good. They passed this law and we are now changing the law back. The members—sorry one member at least says This is going to screw the scrum it's riding roughshod and it's going to give Labour extra numbers." And I just repeat again: if the Hon Dr Nick Smith is so terrified of a potential 1800 to 1900 extra votes all going to the parties in Government then they are in more serious trouble than we've given them credit for. I didn't think their margins were that—I know Nick Smith's margin is 600 or so so he's got something to worry about. But they won't all be voting in Nelson—I think we can give them that reassurance—they won't all be voting for Nelson. But it was never an argument. The reality is more than a third of the prison population have the right to vote now and a small number consistent with the principle established by the National Government in 1993 will now continue to get the right to vote.The bill does a very important thing. It also allows the Department of Corrections through their prison managers and prison personnel to facilitate the right of those prisoners who will have restored to them the right to vote—the process to get on the roll. It will enable the Department of Corrections to convey the relevant information to the Electoral Commission. And for those who are seeking or apply to go on the unpublished roll it will allow prison managers and their delegates to assist a prisoner to make that application. They've got to meet the same criteria as anybody else but we know that there are some in prison who are subject to safety risks when they get out and just like any other person in the community who fears for their safety by having their name published on a public roll then that person can have that considered as well. So all of that is provided for in the bill and it will be a good thing that it passes and restores some integrity to the totality of our Electoral Act. I was very pleased when I saw the number of submissions coming in on this bill. I know members opposite thought that you know because of the COVID-19 lockdown nobody cared. Actually they did. More than 2500 people made submissions on this bill and 78 percent—78 percent—supported it. What an amazing number. What an amazing majority supported it. And when I get around the community and I talk to people about criminal justice you know the overwhelming message is—you know what: we know that most of the people in prison have something wrong with them. Why don't we focus on fixing what's wrong so we stop their offending so they can lead a better life and put something back into the community? That's how most New Zealanders think now. They're not into the mindless chest beating of the National Party. They want to do something constructive and meaningful. And so I'm very pleased that this bill has got to the point where it has. I look forward to the remaining debate in the House but this bill will be a very important measure. It will restore just a little bit more integrity to our Electoral Act which is a very important piece of legislation. We've made a few changes to it just like the party opposite when they were in Government making changes without any agreement with the Opposition as they did when they passed the change that we are now reversing. No consensus there. I know Nick Smith tries to retell history but that's all right because there are people around here to correct him—and to correct him and to tell the truth as it actually is. This bill will do very good things for New Zealand and restore that little bit more faith. I commend the bill to the House."