Dean JacquiHon JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki): Thank you so much for the opportunity Madam Chair and that's exactly what I'm going to do by speaking to the commencement clause of this bill—clause 2—and supporting the amendment which is promoted by the Hon Nick Smith in that to overcome the retrospective nature of this unfortunate bill there should be a delay in the commencement of this piece of legislation until a referendum has been held. I'm not going to repeat anything my colleagues have said but I want to put myself on the hustings in 2020 along with my fellow candidates—if the Chair will indulge me for a moment.This is assuming that a referendum were to be held upon the commencement of the new parliamentary term. I would be standing on the hustings in a town hall in Geraldine or a town hall in Ōāmaru or Waimate or Alexandra or anywhere in the Waitaki electorate and I would be saying to them If this legislation passes if the referendum on this legislation were to be held and is passed you will not hear me saying 'I will do the best for the voters if the voters elect me to Parliament for another term.' " I will be forced to say to the voting public "If this referendum—which I believe is really worth supporting before the commencement of this bill—passes I will have to say to you 'I'm standing here in the Clyde town hall asking for the vote of the voting public. I will do my very best for the voting public both in the electorate and in Parliament. However I'm really sorry but I have no choice. I have to toe the party line because if I don't toe the party line I'm in danger of being turfed out and the vote that was cast in my favour—and I thank you in advance—will be null and void because I'm sorry I could not represent the voters to the full because I am absolutely shackled by this heinous heinous piece of legislation that not only fetters Parliament and not only fetters us in the Parliament but fetters the voter. So this is a hoax on you voters in the Clyde' "—CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): It's not a hoax on me.Hon JACQUI DEAN: This is a hoax on the voters in the Clyde Memorial Hall because—CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): Can we come back to clause 2 please. It's been three minutes.Hon JACQUI DEAN: Yes—thank you Madam Chair. Speaking to the commencement date and I'm assuming in this scenario that the Hon Nick Smith's proposed amendment will be coming into effect—not only am I fettered and all other parliamentary colleagues across the House are fettered but so is the voter. So it's a hoax on the voter because the voter does not get a free vote any more because they have somebody they put in Parliament who will only ever give them their qualified support and that Madam Chair and that honourable Minister and Government—the Green Party in particular. It's not true to the principles of the forebears of the Green Party. And it's not true to the forebears of the Green Party for a very good reason and that is that it is deeply deeply undemocratic. Not for us not just for the parliamentary democracy and those of us who are privileged to represent the voters in this House not just for us—Dr Duncan Webb: When does it commence?Hon JACQUI DEAN: —but for the voters who will no longer upon the commencement of this bill if it becomes law—and I regret to say that it will. The voters will be absolutely fettered. Is that a good thing for democracy in New Zealand? Is that a good thing for our proud history in New Zealand as having the most stable unbroken line of democracy? Reflect on that Green Party—reflect on that.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m."