Cunliffe David: Immigration Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCunliffe David: Immigration Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10620. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn): I cannot tell you how much of a relief it is Mr Chairman to get the call after you had been tantalising the Labour Opposition by darting your eyes around the Chamber. Can I just say to the previous speaker Denis O’Rourke that I have news for him—I have news for him. “Wogistan” is a landlocked country. There will be no boat people from “Wogistan” because they have no ocean—they have no ocean. The chances of “Wogistanis” invading New Zealand by boat are exactly the same as Martians invading New Zealand by spacecraft.In fact why has the National Government not got an anti-Martian clause in this tawdry bill the Immigration Amendment Bill? There is no protection from alien landings and there is exactly the same probability of an alien invasion from Mars as there is of boat people from Indonesia or “Wogistan”—exactly the same probability.In all seriousness I would like to recall a tale of two leaders. It was my privilege to be—Denis O’Rourke: Don’t worry about it. Nobody wants to hear it.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: I raise a point of order Mr Chairman. It is not often that I take a point of order seeking the ability to give my remarks in regard to a member sitting on the same side of the Chamber and I am sure that he will do us the courtesy now that the initial humorous introductory period of the remarks are over to engage in—The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): Excuse me I am the Chair. The member should be addressing me not the member who has just resumed his seat. He is falling—no no stay seated please. He is falling into the same sort of habit as using points of order for other points of view. Can I just say this: although I accept that the Chamber was too rowdy when the member began he did say some rather insightful things that may have generated the response and he has to take some—Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Chairman. I just want to check—I think you meant “inciting” not “insightful”.The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): Oh right. Thank you.Denis O’Rourke: I raise a point of order Mr Chairman.The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): Well I have dealt with those points of order but Denis O’Rourke has a point of order. Look it is time we moved on. I hope this is not trivial.Denis O’Rourke: I just wanted to respond—The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): No you cannot respond.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: Mr Chairman I take your guidance and that of my very learned colleague Mr Mallard that I need to move from “incite-ful” with a “c” to “insightful” with an “s” and I shall try to do that. [Interruption] That has confused the Minister opposite; he has no idea what I am talking about—no idea. But never mind—back to my tale of two leaders.It was my privilege to be present at a public meeting in my electorate with the Rt Hon Helen Clark when her phone rang and she was advised about theTampa—theTampa. [Interruption] Does the “member for dairy conversions” remember theTampa? That situation was true test of leadership where New Zealand said: “Here is a desperate situation where human beings are at mortal peril. We will take 150 of those boat people.” It was recently a privilege to know that they have had a celebration for thoseTampa refugees and that so many of them have gone on to tertiary education and to very gainful employment. They have become really really valuable members of our society.At roughly the same time John Howard played the boat people card in his last and “it has to be successful” re-election campaign where he used footage gained by the Australian Defence Force and intelligence services to scaremonger about the yellow peril crossing the straits into Australia. It seemed that he was submerging the dangers to human life to the need for crass partisan politics and playing if not the race card then the invasion card to frighten his people into conservative voting.I have to say that it is straight out of the Crosby/Textor playbook. If you cannot convince people about your economic policies if you want them to ignore the true effect of your social policies you will need an external enemy and if there is not a real one out there create one and say: “I know we are going to create the bogey ofthousands of Asian boat people!”. Why is Melissa Lee supporting this anti-Asian legislation? Why is she doing that? Why is Kanwaljit Bakshi supporting this anti-Asian legislation?Melissa Lee: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. That kind of comment is very very offensive. I take offence at that because it is not Asian people who are in fact the boat people who actually turn up on New Zealand’s shores and his comment about “yellow peril” was very offensive. [Interruption]The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): Order! I actually do think that comment had a bit of innuendo and I ask the member to withdraw it. [Interruption] No just withdraw it.Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. That is a matter of debate. It is a matter of debate and not of order.The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): Some aspersions were cast that could be offensive and I have just ruled that.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: Speaking to the point of order—The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): No no I just want the member to withdraw and then we will continue. Just withdraw the comment—that is all that is required.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: I certainly withdraw any—The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): Thank you.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: —inference that the comment may have been in any way calling the member’s intentions into doubt. But the point which is actually beyond debate is that the nearest land mass to Australasia is Asia and it is from the countries of Asia that Mr Howard and Mr Key have painted the threat as emerging. That is actually incontrovertible. So if this Committee or anybody listening has a problem with the use of the word “Asia” in that context there is one person to be blamed and it is John “Slippery” Key—John “Slippery” Key. And I withdraw that comment because of course it is outside the Standing Orders and—Hon Anne Tolley: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I understand that the Standing Orders require that you use the correct name for members.The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): Yes. All members are honourable members. The member will have to withdraw that comment as well.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: I will not only withdraw but apologise for that one.The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): Thank you. Now let us proceed.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: A tale of two leaders: on the one hand we have a leader who put humanity above politics and took a political risk to save the lives of 150 young Afghans who have gone on to be very upstanding citizens of New Zealand; on the other hand we have Mr Key and Mr Howard right-wing politicians who are willing to sacrifice goodness and decency for populist right-wing political ends. If New Zealanders cannot see what is going on with this shoddy awful Draconian right-wing anti-liberty piece of legislation then they need to wake up. And it is not just this bill—