Coddington Deborah: Land Transport (Unauthorised Street and Drag Racing) Amendment Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Coddington Deborah: Land Transport (Unauthorised Street and Drag Racing) Amendment Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4568] 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON (ACT NZ) 
: 
 There has been a lot of maligning of the ACT party and its stand on this legislation. I notice that a number of members are conveniently avoiding the issue we are addressing here. The title Land Transport (Unauthorised Street and Drag Racing) Amendment Bill should be the “Land Transport (Increasing the Powers of the Police) Amendment Bill because that essentially is what this legislation does. At least Mr Ron Mark is honest and acknowledges that that is what it does—and good on him for acknowledging it and for standing up for what he believes in. I wish that other members of the Committee would be so honest because they will not address that issue. 
If people want to have a street or drag race they have to get authorisation. They have to get permission from the authorities because they will be doing things that in ordinary circumstances would be breaking the law. Measures therefore have to be taken to make a street or drag race an authorised event. Because people would be breaking the law in terms of speed dangerous driving and reckless driving such events have to be authorised. 
The key words in this title are “unauthorised” and its opposite “authorised”. This is why I object to this legislation. If a street race or a drag race is unauthorised it is therefore already—before we even pass this bill—against the law because it would involve excessive speed and breaking the speed limit. I see that Clayton Cosgrove is shaking his head. Does he not have any respect for the speed limit or for traffic regulations that already prohibit excessive noise? Those regulations already prohibit nuisance in terms of people who drive motor vehicles. We are not actually totally in bed as some members so crudely put it with the Green Party. Members of that party would probably have train drag racing bus-dragging or whatever—as long as it does not involve motor vehicles; if it is in trains or buses it is OK. 
I come back to the title which is what I really object to about this legislation. If the title honestly reflected what this legislation is to do it would state that it increases the powers of the police. Anybody in a democratic society should be extremely careful when they do anything to increase the powers of the police. 
Brian Connell 
: Zero tolerance. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: We are the party of zero tolerance—for those who have broken the law not for those who look as though they are about to break it or as that member said for those who are hell-bent on breaking it. We do not increase the powers of the police for people who are thinking about breaking the law or for those who look as though they might break it. That is excessively dangerous and I caution this Committee to think very carefully about it. 
Sure the bill will go through—I accept that. But that does not mean I am not prepared to make myself unpopular by sticking up for those who are acting with authority—for those who are not breaking the law. That is why I say that the title of this bill is a misnomer. It should be the “Land Transport (Increasing the Powers of the Police) Amendment Bill” and I challenge all those other members in the Committee who support this bill apart from Ron Mark who is the only honest one in here— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No that is out of order. The member will withdraw and apologise. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: I withdraw and apologise. I challenge all those other members when they debate this title to think about that word “unauthorised” as it relates to street and drag racing and about what the opposite is. If a race is authorised it is already authorised; if it is unauthorised it is already outside the law and we have legislation to deal with that. We should not be increasing the powers of the police.