SpeechHon CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South): Thank you Madam Speaker. In a couple of months in October I will be attending along with a number of my parliamentary women colleagues a breakfast function for the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians celebrating the 100th anniversary of women being able to stand for Parliament in New Zealand which is a pretty amazing thing to be celebrating.Dr Duncan Webb: Absolutely right.Hon CLARE CURRAN: It is. So what better demonstration is there of a Government's true commitment to improving and strengthening our democracy than a bill before this Parliament which enfranchises more voters in this country and enables them to participate in our democracy? So I'm actually pretty proud to be standing here today celebrating the fact that this Parliament in 2019 has finally got round to passing legislation to enable more people to vote to be able to access our voting system in New Zealand. That is truly something to be proud of.I wanted to take the conversation up a little bit because there's been lots of high dudgeon thrown around in this debate and in the debate around the previous piece of legislation and the crux of the Opposition's argument against this bill seems to rest on a constitutional crisis of some description and a lack of consultation. You know it's a valid thing if it's true. But I do say particularly to the member Dr Nick Smith who has been running this argument on this bill and the previous bill that he really does need to get his facts right and do his homework. His high dudgeon act is just that: it is just an act.I wanted to actually provide the House tonight with some clear evidence of that because Dr Smith—and he was followed by Chris Bishop—came to the House this afternoon and pronounced that there had been no consultation on this bill and there was a constitutionally appalling situation as a result. Outrage" was the word that seemed to be used; it had a lot of currency and was used a lot. I want to refer Dr Smith—and he's been sitting on that Justice Committee and he had a few criticisms of that select committee about the number of chairs etc.—to a letter that was written by the Minister the justice Minister Andrew Little on 4 December last year to the select committee and it's headed "Amendments to the Electoral Act 1993" and I'll—Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: December?Hon CLARE CURRAN: December 2018. "This is to advise you that I'm considering proposing an Electoral Amendment Bill be included on the Government's 2019 legislative programme. The bill would progress minor or technical amendments to electoral law for example to help manage the logistical requirements of general elections by making voting and voting places more accessible." He went on to outline: "removing the prohibition on designating a licensed premises selling alcohol as a polling place enabling ballots to be counted away from the polling place enabling the special vote declaration to be able to be treated as an application to enrol or update enrolment details. I have also asked my officials to look at enrolment on election day and whether this could be made available for the 2020 election. In order for any changes to the Electoral Act or the electoral regulations to be implemented for the 2020 election they'd need to be made by the end of 2019. For this reason I need to develop these changes alongside rather than after your committee's inquiry into the 2017 general election. If there is a bill and depending on the progress of your inquiry there may be an opportunity to add some of your recommended legislative changes during the parliamentary process."Dr Smith that letter was at your select committee. There was no response. There was consultation; you were reached out to. You didn't respond—not you Madam Speaker. I rest the case that—I'm sorry but it's a straw man argument. You can't argue there has been no consultation. This is—Hon Dr Nick Smith: Who's the letter addressed to? Hon CLARE CURRAN: It was addressed to the select committee. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'm sorry but the member's time has expired."