Barry MaggieHon MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I rise to talk to the Crimes (Increased Penalty for Providing Explosive to Commit Crime) Amendment Bill at its second reading. I think that the member Stuart Nash who just resumed his seat probably should stick to pumping iron in the gym and huffing and puffing his way through it. He's clearly an expert on what is irrelevant to his constituents. If he ever does speak to them for example he might want to ask them why the Coroners (Access to Body of Dead Person) Amendment Bill a four-liner spun into a legislative filibuster in this House—so much of Labour's legislation residential tenancies legislation and others are all about padding out a legislative time frame and timetable which Labour has been woefully inadequate at being able to fill. So it's very rich coming from that member who if he speaks to his constituents about pumping iron might get somewhere but otherwise would appear to be quite out of touch with what people really want.Increasing prison statistics is about keeping people in jail if they do bad things. Consistency is what this bill I think has at its heart and as its strength. For the member who resumed his seat to assume that we will not have a case like the Boston Marathon where people may recall a young man with a backpack put it down. It was an explosive. It claimed lives. We have seen explosives in London which have caused mayhem. That member may be completely out of touch with what may be coming our way but I think deterrence and the ability to ensure that this country has a very tidy and consistent penalty regime is important and that's why this is a very useful piece of work.We have an amendment to the Crimes Act and the Arms Act. This bill aims in its consistency for a maximum penalty for providing explosives to commit an offence from a maximum term of two years' imprisonment to up to five years—so consistency. It's a little bit what the psychoactive substances bill is trying to do also. It is to make it as serious a penalty as marijuana. So getting the message across to the people who would do bad things like peddle bad drugs or use explosives in a public place that they will get the consistent penalties that the law and the judiciary will have the ability to hand down. So I think it's very important.I think it's also very important to note that New Zealanders do need to feel safe in their homes and their communities and as well as that in public places. There are a number of major public events that I have attended and they include the respectful ones. Laying wreaths for Anzac Day is one that is coming up. We do not want to be as a nation fearful of what people may think they can get away with because the Government is soft on crime and this Government is. They want to not build prisons. They don't want people to go into the prisons so what does that mean? All penalties will be reduced down to six months or a year. Let the villains out on the street. Let them do their worst and the New Zealanders—we will be bearing the brunt of that.The Law Commission for example—an august body with possibly even a lot more knowledge of the law than the member who resumed his seat—has recommended increasing the penalty and the maximum penalties for criminal offences. In their report they compared section 272 with section 55 of the Arms Act and considered that the two sections are almost identical. However section 55 carries a maximum penalty of five years and there is no possible justification says the Law Commission for that lack of consistency. So this is about tidying up something that needs to be tidied up.New Zealand First's position remains unclear. They weren't on the Justice Committee. I'll be interested to hear what they have to say on this. It would be useful if New Zealand First stuck to its core brand of being tough on crime and making sure that bad people were locked up and dealt to so it will be very interesting to see whether they will add their weight to support this bill.But I feel that this is a piece of legislation—while perhaps not the largest and most significant piece of legislation this House will deal with in this term it is still an important piece. I commend the member for coming up with it for the research and for the work that he has put into it. Therefore I commend this bill to the House.