Graham KennedyDr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green): I have been listening to all the contributions on this particular point—on the nature of the committee—and I must say I am impressed. I mean the democratic spirit is alive and well and I think the input has been pretty insightful. I just want to see whether there is any scope for moving to some kind of common ground on this. I am looking at Mr English's Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 264 which is where the Minister is resting and looking at clause 156 and I am looking at Mr Little's SOP 270 and my own SOP 268 and seeing whether there is any scope for any kind of compromise that could allow us to go just a fraction further beyond Supplementary Order Paper 264. [Interruption] The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): No no—no. Dr Graham is speaking but I am told that you actually can ride two horses at once. Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM: Yes. I was just taking a large breath. Hon Christopher Finlayson: We were talking about your SOP actually.Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM: Thank you Minister. So I am putting forward a separate amendment that does not do the larger step that my SOP 268 proposed which is that every party be empowered automatically under the legislation to be present on the committee. I would accept what would appear to be a majority view here including from our colleagues in New Zealand First and elsewhere that that is too big a step to take. The Minister has said that; I recognise that. I would just like to put forward a separate amendment that goes less far than my SOP 268 and it would simply pick up on the Minister's SOP 264 clause 156(5) which says: When nominating a person for membership of the Committee the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister must have regard to security requirements." That is the current wording in clause 156(5) and I would just then look to Mr Little's—just look to Mr—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): Sorry but we are just trying to get the ducks in a row—Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM: Yes.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): —on the member's amendment he says as Chairman Mallard. Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM: Yes. I would then look to Mr Little's SOP 270 and use the wording that is in Mr Little's SOP and add it on to the Minister's SOP 264. It would just say "and the proportional representation of political parties in the House of Representatives" which simply introduces the point of principle of proportionality which we have all been talking about in this Committee—including I think the Minister—and it would just enshrine that principle articulated by everybody in the legislation. It would retain the degree of discretion that the Minister is insisting on. It would stop short of the automaticity and the stringency that was in my SOP 268 but it would I think reflect points made by the Hon David Parker and for that matter by New Zealand First colleagues and others and I think it would reflect the Minister's own view that proportionality ought to be respected. It just brings it explicitly into the legislation. So that is a new amendment that I want to put forward and I leave it to the Minister to give it due consideration. The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): I call Stuart Nash. Sorry there was a member who was calling for some time whom I was going to call but that member did not call."