Dunne Peter: Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Dunne Peter: Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:638;Page:8508] 
Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) 
: 
 I listened to the previous speaker Hone Harawira with some interest. There were flashes of relevance to the Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill during his remarks. I think the main thread that emerged during that rather fascinating discursive tale of recent history was that terrorism in a variety of manifestations has always been with us and always will be. 
The issue that this bill addresses is the immediate reality we face in terms of the response to certain international events of recent years. I will speak as someone who was chair of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee that conducted the review during 2005 of the terrorism suppression legislation that was passed in 2002. It had become clear by that time that there were deficiencies many of which are remedied in this bill. 
I express some concern that it has taken us to this point to get this legislation into the House. On the face of it there is an absurdity. Here we are trying to put in place for New Zealand legislation that enables us to deal with what we all see as a mounting threat of international terrorism and to make sure we are able to respond to protect our people to secure our borders and to do all of those sorts of things. Yet it has taken us 18 months to get legislation before this Parliament to deal with the outcome of a review about the procedures that we had in place at the time we passed the original legislation. 
I am not saying that these changes are not necessary; they are. The position we had where the High Court would have to review all existing designations was clearly absurd. Given the number of organisations that have been designated the reality is that without the provision contained in this bill the High Court would find itself doing nothing else but reviewing terrorism designations and that would clearly be an absurd practice. So the provision to give that roll over power to the Prime Minister is a pragmatic and practical one in the circumstances. New offences have also been introduced that again pick up the fact that since 2002 there have been additional developments that need to be addressed. 
I come back to a point that was made by Dr Mapp and curiously enough in a similar vein by Mr Locke during their remarks. Dr Mapp argued that we were taking a lowest common denominator approach in adopting the United Nations list of organisations and individuals to proscribe. Mr Locke argued the converse of that which was actually the same point. He was arguing the danger of simply taking an all-or-nothing approach. It is true that we need to be able to select for ourselves those organisations and individuals that might be of greater relevance to this country. But I would sound a grave note of caution because we run the risk of confusing organisations with whom we have a political difference and organisations with whom we have a very deep difference because of their avowed terrorist objectives. 
So I come back to the UN list as being a solid basis from which to work. One could well agree with some of the examples that Dr Mapp listed at a political level in respect of the undesirability of those organisation or their attitudes vis-à-vis the position of the New Zealand Government over the years. But it is going too far to automatically proscribe some of those organisations as “terrorist” simply because we disagree with the political stance that they have been taking. On the other hand the position that the United Nations has adopted and the organisations that it has registered as “terrorist” is one that stands an international test of credibility. 
Most of us would take the view that in an ideal world none of this sort of legislation would even be contemplated. The normal relations between States and individuals would be able to be carried out in a free and harmonious manner. That has never been the case unfortunately; it never will be where we have human beings involved. But the reality then becomes where when one comes back from that ideal does one draw the line at what is reasonable? The whole test has to be that where there is absolute certainty and absolute clarity that the organisations in question are evil are terrorist and deserve to be proscribed they should be. Where there is doubt then the doubt needs not to fall on the balance of the country making the call but on the balance of that organisation. 
As the previous speaker so eloquently illustrated there are occasions in history when yesterday’s terrorist becomes today’s freedom fighter—today’s nation builder. The South African situation is a classic case in point. 
Hone Harawira 
: And the Maori Party. 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: I would never have described the Maori Party as terrorist and I am not sure that the member is seeking to do that. 
Hon Member 
: Tourist! 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: He may have a view on that as well. The point I am making is that we need to be very careful that we do not get ourselves into a position where for transitory political advantage we proscribe organisations and terrorists only to see as the situation changes that we may wish to take a different view. 
I support the provisions of this bill. I support the way in which it has been crafted and the approach it has adopted. I know it is going to the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee. I am not sure whether the Minister is moving for a restricted period of time for its consideration but I would certainly hope that we do not have to wait too much longer before the bill can be passed and enacted. As I said at the commencement it strikes me as somewhat absurd that in our rush to make sure we have a very rigorous anti-terrorist regime we have taken 18 months to implement the results of a review that was conducted during the life of the previous Parliament. I think we can be more expeditious. I think there is priority attached to this legislation and genuine support around the House for its provisions. So I hope progress can be made.