Bennett David: Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Bennett David: Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
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DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) 
: 
 Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker Robertson. I congratulate you as well on your ascension to that role. I am sure you will do a very fine job as you have done in your time in the House. Well done and congratulations! 
I will pick up from what the last speaker Darien Fenton said. She finished her speech by saying that this Government had done nothing for road safety and that we were ineffective at dealing with the issue of road safety. But let us look at a little bit of history. The Labour Government had 9 years and did nothing on road safety. It said everything people wanted to hear but did nothing. It has taken National only 2 years to make the most effective changes with regard to road safety that this country has seen in recent times. We put out the  
Safer Journeys: discussion document 
 a document that went out for consultation that was in the public view for nearly a year and that was around for people to have their say about. It was a document that covered the bases; it went through all the options in road safety and it delivered some real and tangible solutions in road safety. The Minister of Transport has taken those solutions on board and made positive and real change. I encourage the people of New Zealand to look at that record and at the reality of actually doing something in the road safety area—not just talking about it but actually delivering solutions that are in the best interests of New Zealand drivers especially our young people. 
We have heard Labour members who have come to this House and talked about putting forward Supplementary Order Papers in the Committee stage. They stand up and do all the politics they can. They say they will change this and change that but they never actually did anything when they had the chance to do something. We are doing something. We are setting up this legislation so that we can have a better and more stable roading environment that looks after the safety of our drivers as we go forward. 
When we look at the big impetus of this legislation or the big changes it encourages we see there are two areas we have to look at. One is the driving age in relation to young drivers and that is something for which I think we need also to commend Peter Dunne who has always been an advocate in that area. As well there are the sanctions for serious and repeat drink-driving offenders. Those are the two big changes in this bill. There are a number of other changes with regard to certain by-laws issuing penalties and suchlike and with regard to some parts of the demerit points system and the like but those will pretty much go under the public radar. The first thing that the public will remember about the bill will be the raising of the driving age—that is raising the driving age to 16 from 15—to give us consistency with Australia and the other international comparators that we use. The second thing is the toughening of sanctions for serious or repeat driving offenders. That provision basically lowers the breath-alcohol limit to zero for certain drivers and brings in the introduction of alcohol interlocks for repeat drink-driving offenders which is something I think the public is very supportive of. We hear a lot when we go around our communities— 
Hon Shane Jones 
: Have you read the bill? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: That is the new spokesperson on transport for Labour who was never even at the select committee but he will stand up in 5 minutes’ time and say how he will change the bill. He was never even at the select committee. He would not even know what is in the bill but he will be telling the world about the way he will change it and make things different. We look forward to your contribution tonight Mr Jones— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: When the member uses the word “you” he brings the Speaker into the debate. That is not permitted. You are debating in the House; you debate through the Speaker not to the Speaker. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Yes we understand. 
Hon Shane Jones 
: Stop pinching Labour policy. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: They will try to change it if it is Labour policy. Well that is typical of Labour. 
In conclusion this bill is very simple. It has two main parts to it—that of the raising of the driving age and that in relation to toughening the sanctions for serious and repeat driving offenders. Members of the community out there when we talk them are very serious about seeing something being done in relation to the drinking and driving components of our communities. That provision will meet with a lot of support in the community I am sure as people want to see the legislation toughened so there are better rules and regulations in that area. We commend this bill to the House.