SpeechJAMI-LEE ROSS (Botany): Thank you Mr Chair. Thank you to the Minister for answering my questions relating to health notifications. I'm not persuaded by his arguments and I do believe that what is going into this bill by way of his Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 408 is an attack on the private confidential relationship between a doctor and the licence holder. I think Minister this will be detrimental to the mental health of the very people that the Minister is trying to assist. I did hear him when he said that he's spoken to rural women and there are real concerns out there. I did hear him when he said they're looking. The Minister sees this as an early detection opportunity to try and assist people.Well Minister this in fact will act as a disincentive to people seeking help. We know already that for the people who are most at risk when it comes to mental health and detrimental elements of their own mental wellbeing putting in place a legislative requirement where doctors can abuse that relationship—behind the back of the licence holder as it turns out as well. That individual's love and joy which might be pistol shooting it might be going out hunting once a month—the risk to that person's love and joy and livelihood being taken away if they open up with their doctor about how they're feeling that is a detrimental risk that actually will harm people and will lead to people not seeking assistance. It will lead to people further hiding the challenges they want.The Minister's Government is pouring nearly $2 billion into providing greater mental health assistance to New Zealanders. The Minister's Government is trying to put in place better primary health services in this area only to then go and say to all of the licence holders that if you open up to your doctor and you tell your doctor how you're feeling and your doctor is a cautious doctor who thinks Goodness if I don't go and tell the police about this then if something happens I'm going to be held liable." that is going to see licence holders say "No I'm not going to share my feelings. I'm not going to open up. I'm just going to keep hiding it." which is the very problem we have with men in this country killing themselves because they don't open up. They keep it confidential. They keep it quiet because they fear the ramifications.I say to the committee and to the Minister that if we actually want to help those men providing more services and getting more education in front of them is the way to go. If the real concern there is that if doctors have information that is going to actually save lives and there's a real and present danger and threat to someone's life—let's say someone goes into the doctor and says "Hey I've got a firearm at home. I think this afternoon I'm going to go and do something to myself." there's already a legal ability for the doctor to do something to notify emergency services. There's already the ability for doctors to do something if they feel there's a real and present threat to the person's life and safety and there's a danger to others. Saying to all the licence holders out there though "The legislation is going to require you to shut your mouth if you want to hold on to your firearms." that is going to hurt the overall outcomes that we're seeking.It will also create a culture within shooting clubs within the firearms community where they'll say to their mates "Hey you know what? If you are feeling a bit down talk to us. Don't talk to your doctor because if you talk to your doctor then something might happen. You might lose your firearms. They'll go and tell the police. The police could make you go and undertake further medical treatment." That is a fear that will be existing within the firearms community. There'll be little boys out there who see their fathers who are involved in shooting clubs and their fathers will say to their little boys "Hey be careful. Don't talk to your doctor about how you're feeling because later on down the track your doctor might go and tell the police."Whether we like it or not there's a distrust between police and the firearms community. I know police are trying to do the right thing and I know the firearms community think they're trying to do the right thing as well to ensure that they can enjoy their sport in a free and fair and reasonable manner but there is that distrust there. By allowing an invasion an attack on the private confidential relationship between people and their doctors in a way which probably will have no appreciable benefits but actually lead to people shutting their mouths about how they're feeling I say that's a bad change to this law that shouldn't go ahead. If the Minister however does want to pursue this further then I at least ask that he considers inserting into his SOP the requirement for a doctor to at least inform the patient that they've made the notification to the police and that's on my tabled amendment. If a doctor is going to exercise that ability to breach the confidentiality they should at least tell the licence holder too."