Lees-Galloway Iain: Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill — In Committee 
Lees-Galloway Iain: Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill — In Committee 
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IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour—Palmerston North) 
: 
 I would like to pick up from where the previous speaker Jacqui Dean left off on the Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill. She brought up the Rugby Sevens— 
Jacqui Dean 
: The potted plant was it? 
IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY 
: —and potted plants as well. 
Craig Foss 
: What did you go as? 
IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY 
: I have never actually been to the Sevens sadly enough. It is something I would like to fix. 
Paul Quinn 
: As a Bucket Head! 
IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY 
: I have never been to a Turbos match as a Bucket Head either. Moving on the question was raised about the Sevens and I think that was a really good point. At the Sevens the entertainment that goes on around the rugby is often really more of the event than the rugby itself. Whereas I hope that people who are heading along to the Rugby World Cup would want to make the rugby on the field itself the centre of entertainment. Perhaps the alcohol is more of a side issue. It is something that goes with the rugby rather than the other way around with the rugby going alongside the alcohol. The Associate Minister Turia is making some interjections; maybe she will take a call and we can hear her views on this. 
But the point I am getting at is a point I was talking about a couple of weeks ago on this bill when we were debating about what sorts of vessels we should have the beer and whatever else in. I am absolutely of the view that a paper cup would be absolutely fine. People are not there to focus on the drinking and they are not there to brand Heineken; they are there to watch the rugby. Maybe just for a couple of hours they could put up with drinking out of a probably inappropriately sized paper cup while they watch the rugby and then we could overcome some of the issues we saw at the weekend. 
Mr Quinn suggested those issues were because it was rugby league crowd. I am not quite so divisive; I am a bit more inclusive. I think it does not really matter what sport one is watching that sort of mixture of alcohol and crowd mentality can make good people do things that the next day they wake up and think they probably should not have done and do not feel too flash about. But in that environment cans whether or not they brand Heineken or bottles can turn into missiles and they can do a lot of damage. What the Government is saying by saying no to paper cups is basically that corporate sponsorship comes ahead of public health and safety. That is really the sum total of that message. 
I think that is something that would be good given the incident over the weekend which occurred in the middle of the reading of this bill for the Minister for the Rugby World Cup to get up and talk about. It would be good for him to talk about how those sorts of situations will be mitigated and minimised by the bill or any of the amendments that the Minister might want to put up to the bill at this stage. That leads me to the amendment in my name. It is an amendment to clause 72(1)(a) in subpart 3 that would require the signage in a licensed venue to carry information about the transportation options available nearby the premise for patrons which would encourage them to choose safe transportation. 
I was listening to the radio this morning and I heard a Mount Albert resident someone who lives close to Eden Park complaining not only about what happened in Eden Park but what happened when everybody poured out across their lawn and did things on their lawn that probably were more appropriate for a public toilet. That upset that resident who felt that things should be put in place to ensure that that does not happen. If we have information in public venues about transportation options that are available then people might not be walking blind drunk along the streets annoying the local residents getting into trouble and perhaps doing something they will not be so proud of the next morning. They can get themselves into a cab they can get dial-a-driver they can get on to a shuttle and whatever options are available they can take that option— 
Jacqui Dean 
: The train. 
IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY 
: The member opposite mentioned the train—a good option. I would be very pleased if more people took the train in Auckland getting from Eden Park back to their homes or back to the central business district—that would be fantastic. My amendment suggests that that information should be a requirement for venues to have available for their patrons. All the other stuff is there. The free water is a requirement under this bill which is a fantastic measure and food and low-alcoholic drinks are available. Those things are right there in front of those patrons and they can see the options that are available to them. Transportation is not right in front of them. It is not an option that is immediately obvious and available to them. So we should take the opportunity seeing as a sign has to be there anyway to add this information to the sign in order to improve public health and safety. Seeing as we have parked health and safety for Heineken when it comes to the vessels inside the park when we are outside maybe we could bring this little measure in to improve public health and safety.