Whaitiri MekaHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Tēnā koutou katoa e ngā mema o Te Whare. You would think that the sky is going to fall in after listening to that speaker Dr Nick Smith who has just resumed his seat. The Referendums Framework Bill is putting in trail the process in which these two referendum questions are put to the general public in election 2020.Let's be really clear. As part of the confidence and supply agreement between the Labour and the Green Party we said we would take the cannabis referendum question to the general election year. It is simply a yes or no question—it is simply a yes or no question. How Dr Nick Smith can draw it out that it is unconstitutional or the scrutiny of Parliament's not going to have the ability to answer a yes or no question is beyond me. So let's get it really right around the recreational cannabis reform. It's simply a yes or no question.In terms of end of life choice the entire House not only debated that particular bill but it also debated the question. So in terms of the allegations that somehow this side is bypassing the scrutiny of the Parliament well it's unfounded—it's completely unfounded.This is a simple bill as many speakers on this side of the House have avowed; it is to give the tools to the Electoral Commission around answering these two referendum questions in next year's general election. It's nothing more; it's nothing less. It's consistent with this Government's confidence and supply and it's to honour the debate that this whole House had on the End of Life Choice Bill.It is important that we assure this House that we are taking this seriously as a coalition Government to ensure that the general public have their say. This allegation of it being a constitutional overreach is purely an exaggeration. It's not that. It has had the scrutiny of the select committee and I would challenge what Dr Smith said about the legislative advisory committee. He tends to do that; he tends to stretch what people's allegations are about it being unconstitutional but it isn't—it isn't. It is not. He is over-stretching that point. It's a simple simple question of what we are trying to do here consistent with this Government around setting clear direction to the Electoral Commission as we go to the polling booths next year.What I did want to talk about is the alignment with what we're passing here which is currently in the Electoral Act particularly around advertising. I just wanted to make a couple of comments around ensuring that we are very clear that when we are talking about advertising we are applying the same three-month rule prior to referendums as we do in the general elections. So I think that's a really important point.I want to talk about the advertising rules: to make sure that campaign statements are clear so that we know whoever's supporting the pros and cons of the two referendum questions; that the public get to know who's advertising that their name and address is there. I think that's really really important. So as we go into next year's election those that are pro - recreational cannabis or opposed to it—similarly with end of life choice pro and against—those that are advertising the general public should know who's promoting the advertisement and the address around it.We also want to make sure that we are consistent around the amounts of money that we're spending—so under $13000 for those over a certain threshold a referendum advertising of $100000 and also applying the limit of $330000 on referendum advertising. These are really important frameworks around the advertising as we lead into next year's general election on these two particular questions. This is what the Referendums Framework Bill is enabling the Parliament to do—it is to give that consistency to the Electoral Commission the general public knows what they're being asked to agree on and that we set the tight frameworks consistent with the Electoral Act under this particular bill.Now there have been allegations of Why throw it out after 2020?" Well clearly any future referendum should actually be scrutinised by this House and should be scrutinised by the public. So it makes absolute sense that this bill terminates at the conclusion of the general election 2020. It is really a simple bill enabling us to conduct the referendums as agreed by this House and also in the confidence and supply agreement between Labour and the Greens. It is a straightforward bill that gives those frameworks. I support it and I commend it to the House."