Dean Jacqui: Border (Customs Excise and Tariff) Processing Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Dean Jacqui: Border (Customs Excise and Tariff) Processing Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Sitting date: 24 November 2009. Volume:659;Page:8223. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 I rise to speak to the Border (Customs Excise and Tariff) Processing Bill. Managing New Zealand’s border provides a number of challenges for New Zealand and for the New Zealand Customs Service. The current customs priorities reflect the New Zealand and Australian Governments’ desire to make crossing the Tasman simpler and more efficient for travellers with the introduction of new technology and streamlined processes. Another priority is the introduction of a new express lane for travellers in airports identified as being a low biosecurity risk. There will be a pilot of assessing bags during flight time in order to allow quicker processing on arrival and an increase in the instant biosecurity infringement fine from $200 to $400. These measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to streamlining trans-Tasman travel while enhancing our world-class biosecurity system. The Customs Service also has a strong priority of increasing the interceptions of illicit drugs and precursor materials that are entering New Zealand. 
Our border is extremely busy. In a year the Customs Service processes 9.62 million air passenger movements inwards and outwards. Every year 4611 marine vessels are cleared by the Customs Service. The Customs Service also coordinates the surveillance of some 15000 kilometres of coastline and clears just over 1000 small aircraft each year. It deals with nearly 42 million import transactions including those by mail and with 27.5 million export transactions during a year. The amendments in the bill will also meet the Customs Service’s objective of meeting our international obligations relating to cross-border crime. 
The bill makes amendments to the Customs and Excise Act and also to the Tariff Act. The bill contains three sets of amendments: firstly there are amendments relating to the automated passenger processing system known as SmartGate and I will make a few comments about those; secondly there are amendments to clarify and enhance the current legislation and our good Minister of Customs the Hon Maurice Williamson has gone over those amendments so I will not repeat that; and thirdly there are amendments to address legislative gaps and uncertainties. The majority of the amendments relate to border processing and administration by facilitating New Zealand’s international commitments or to the use of new technology although other amendments contained in the bill improve border processing or improve administration in a general sense. 
I will make a few comments about the SmartGate amendments. One of the positive aspects of the bill is that it sets out amendments to the current legislation so that it can take into account SmartGate technologies. Although these amendments are relatively minor they will ensure that automated systems can be used in place of customs officers. The effect of these amendments is to allow the use of automated processing systems at the border which is something that will benefit the travelling public and contribute to the Government’s objective of improving the border-crossing experience for trans-Tasman travellers. As the Minister mentioned in his very good speech there is a provision in the bill for passengers to have the alternative choice of clearing customs face to face with customs officers far from the contention of the members on the opposite side of the House that the SmartGate technology will work to the benefit of more affluent travellers and leave less affluent travellers to meet with a customs officer in person. To the contrary that alternative is provided for people for whom it is not suitable get their face scanned—for example people who are blind or who are in wheelchairs. Alternatives to the SmartGate technology are there to cater for people who do not want to be scanned or are not able to be scanned through the SmartGate technology. 
This bill amends interrelated Acts to improve the processing and administration of goods and people across New Zealand’s borders. The majority of the amendments relate to border processing and administration by facilitating New Zealand’s international commitments for the use of the new SmartGate technology. I commend the bill to the House.