Bakshi Kanwaljit Singh: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBakshi Kanwaljit Singh: General Debate[Sitting date: 25 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1920. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National): Thank you for the opportunity to speak during the general debate. First of all I would like to congratulate all my fellow Kiwis on the new lunar year. This is a time when we all celebrate the lunar year.Tim Macindoe: Gong xi fa cai.KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI: Yes—gong xi fa cai. Yesterday we celebrated the lunar new year in Parliament and we are attending lots of functions around the country.The Sydney siege highlighted for us in this part of the world that New Zealand cannot be considered immune to the dangers posed by terrorism. Due to our distance we may be a bit far away; however our geographical positioning is by no means an excuse for us to take a lacklustre approach. Our leader the Rt Hon John Key outlined yesterday the brutal and unfortunate realities of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Some recent events further highlight the threat that ISIL poses. The beheading of journalists who are on the groundonly to report on the current situation in that region and the kidnapping of hostages are some of the many serious threats that we have to keep in mind when we discuss the serious complex decision that the Government announced yesterday.As we have seen three young teenage girls have just left the UK and have gone to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists in Syria. It is a very serious thing that we need to understand—that those guys are influencing the young generation and asking them to join them in the Middle East and to create a threat.Over the past few months the world has witnessed the ability of ISIL to attract train and keep foreign fighters motivated. Further as an organisation it is well armed and has access to a constant flow of funds to it. Anyone who despite knowing all these details still feels that ISIL is not a threat needs to re-examine their facts. Based on the facts available I am of the firm opinion that ISIL is a threat not just to the peace and stability of the Middle East but as a region globally.We live in an interconnected world and we have to play an active part while ensuring that New Zealand’s interests are taken care of. As the Prime Minister mentioned today during question time New Zealand’s approach is that we have to be part of humanitarian diplomatic and capacity-building exercises in the region. By doing so we are standing by the values of New Zealanders. We are taking the righteous decision of helping support the rule of law internationally. Furthermore we are doing it only on the request of the Iraqi Government which has time and again sought international assistance for ensuring the safety and security of its citizens.Although I am speaking about the rule of law internationally I now want to focus on New Zealand. I was pleased to take over as the chair of the Law and Order Committee. The Prime Minister recently set Better Public Services targets and I am pleased that we are on track to achieve those. The crime rate is the lowest in the last three decades. People feel safe at home at work and on the streets.I would also like to share the announcement made by the Hon Michael Woodhouse increasing the minimum wage from $14.25 to $14.75 from 1 April 2015. I think the wage rise strikes a perfect balance between the needs of employees and the ability of employers to pay. This is what we can call a win-win situation. The annual inflation figure stands at 0.8 percent while the minimum wage has risen by 3.5 percent. This will directly benefit 115000 workers and lead to increased wages of $60 million a year. This shows once again that we are listening closely to the needs of stakeholders and that we are making decisions based on their needs.Another example that I can share here of where the Government is listening to the community is the decision by the Minister for Ethnic Communities—