Ball DarrochDARROCH BALL (NZ First): That's right—Hamish Walker. It's getting increasingly frustrating. Every time I stand up and speak in this House it's quite often that I say that the National Party haven't done the research but what's quite disappointing about this one is that the member himself who is the author of this bill quite frankly hasn't done any research and neither has Nick Smith. Nick Smith stood up there and he said that this Government doesn't want to have any legislation or laws against people shining lights into aircraft and helicopters—there already is. There already is and this bill isn't addressing that. This bill isn't addressing that.Hon Tim Macindoe: It just increases the penalties—read the bill.DARROCH BALL: Now Mr Macindoe is getting on to the bandwagon. He doesn't know what he's talking about. This bill if they look at the general policy statement right at the start is talking about the possession—the possession of the lasers—not about the fact of pointing a laser into the aeroplane or the aircraft or the helicopter. They've already got provisions for that in the Crimes Act—it's called the Crimes Act 1961 section 270.Now the reason why I know that is that I did a little bit of research and people have been charged under that section of the Crimes Act for shining lasers into aeroplanes and into helicopters. They already do—they already do. I've got examples written down here. Someone laser-struck four aircraft and was charged with four counts of endangering transport under the Crimes Act 2012—they already were charged. Now what's the penalty for that? What's the maximum penalty for that Mr Walker? Already 14 years in prison. Now we've got people standing up here from the Opposition—call themselves members of Parliament—they don't even know what they're talking about when they stand up. Another example: two counts of reckless disregard under endangering transport in the section in 2016. It's unbelievable that they don't even know that when they stand up.This bill is doing nothing but increasing penalties for the possession of lasers. What Mr Walker failed to do was mention that although there were 717 laser strikes on individual aircrafts or helicopters or the like and 228 last year—228 different examples last year. Now he wants to increase the penalties under possession. How many people were prosecuted for possession of the laser from the 228 incidents? How many Mr Doocey—guess? Zero—zero people were prosecuted for the possession of lasers last year and only four since 2015. This individual wants to stand up here and say that this side of the House is soft on crime and that we're not serious with it because we don't want to see an increase in penalties but no one's been prosecuted with it yet—no one has been prosecuted with it yet—four instances since 2015. And how many have had the maximum penalty Mr Walker—how many have had the maximum penalty? Zero.So we've got an individual who by the standards of the backbench of the National Party is quite a genius and he stands up and all he does is look into the Summary Offences Act 1981 goes straight to the possession of high-power laser pointers goes to the sentences sees $2000—I know what let's double it" goes to the imprisonment three months in prison—"I know what let's double it". And he thinks that that is going to go anywhere near solving any of the problems with the 717 incidents since 2015.Not only that let's get one thing straight: in 2014 when this original piece of legislation was introduced by the National Party—by the National Party—it clearly has done nothing to touch the sides of stopping. They had not one not two but three years at least to have a look at the lack of effectiveness of this piece of legislation. But really as Mr O'Connor actually quite rightly pointed out in his speech this has got nothing really to do with the legislation. It's got to do with the enforcement. If we've got 717 incidents and zero prosecutions last year it has nothing to do with the legislation and it has absolutely nothing to do with the level of punishment that can be meted out by the way because there were none meted out last year at all.I do want to say that it's no secret and it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that this entire House—whether it be that side or this side—find the issue of laser pointing into the aircraft a very dangerous one a very serious one and we do need to do something about it. This bill isn't doing it because it's not addressing the right part of the issue. We do not support this bill."