Finlayson Christopher: Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill — Referral to Government Administration Committee In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill — Referral to Government Administration Committee In Committee[Sitting date: 08 August 2013. Volume:692;Page:12561. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Attorney-General):This part proposes a number of amendments to the Intelligence and Security Committee Act 1996 the long title of which provides that it is an Act to increase the level of oversight and review of the intelligence and security agencies by establishing the committee. The functions of this committee are modelled on the terms of reference for select committees. The billproposes a number of additional functions: first a function of considering and discussing with the inspector-general the annual report which provides a formal link between the two oversight bodies. Importantly Mr Dunne’s Supplementary Order Paper 308 will also add that the annual financial review of the intelligence agencies is to be held in public subject to restrictions relating to classified information.New section 7A in clause 39 sets out the membership of the committee. Members can read it for themselves. Basically it is the Prime Minister the Leader of the Opposition and a couple of other members of the House of Representatives nominated by the Prime Minister or nominated by the Leader of the Opposition. There is actually a practical problem in the way this is structured in trying to schedule meetings. Some proposals are set out in Part 3 to improve the composition of the committee so that other members may sit if the Prime Minister is unavailable. The proposals set out in clause 39 directly address issues of convenience and efficiency. Importantly the Prime Minister will have to step aside from the chair when the financial performance of an agency takes place if he or she is the Minister responsible for the portfolio. The Prime Minister will also be able to be substituted by the Deputy Prime Minister or the Attorney-General—yours truly—and the Leader of the Opposition by his or her deputy which would be a grand opportunity for Mr Robertson while he still holds that position before any leadership purge takes place.Chris Hipkins: Just can’t help himself. He just can’t help himself. “Mr Nasty”. “Mr Nasty”.Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: What that does is provide greater flexibility in holding meetings. No the nasty person in the House is the poor old member for Rongotai who seems to be going through a very bad patch—maybe it is because she sees—Hon Phil Goff: She’s thrashed the backside off that member in a number of elections.Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Well of course she would because it is possibly Labour’s strongest seat. She has never lost the seat. Another strong seat of course was the seat of Roskill which Mr Goff lost to Gilbert Myles—the most embarrassing political defeat in history. Mr Myles beat Mr Goff—a deeply embarrassing situation for Mr Goff—not surprisingly after his 6 years as a very low-grade Minister of the Crown in the Lange Government.Anyway let me come to—[Interruption ] Oh they have woken up out of their slumber. Let me come to Mr Dunne’s Supplementary Order Paper 308 which also raises a number of very important matters and concerns an independent review. What this does is create an opportunity for a periodic review of the legislation at very regular intervals. It is something like section 202 of the Evidence Act 2006. There will be a review which has to be commenced before 30 June 2015 and afterwards held at intervals of not shorter than 5 years and not longer than 7 years. So there will be a regular review and that will be an extremely important provision. There are detailed provisions set out as to the appointment of reviewers who the reviewers can be the provision of information to them and the report of the reviewers. These are very important provisions to increase oversight. We have heard a lot of things from Labour members about the need for a review but we are not talking about one review; we are talking about instituting a regime of periodic reviews. If they had any integrity they would be supporting this part.