Fitzsimons Jeanette: Dog Control (Cancellation of Microchipping Requirements) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Fitzsimons Jeanette: Dog Control (Cancellation of Microchipping Requirements) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:631;Page:3179] 
JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 I have listened very carefully in order to hear whether some evidence would be offered in rebuttal of the points I made in my speech and I have heard none. The arguments that have been put forward are that microchipping was part of a package of dog control measures and that if we remove it the package will somehow unravel. But the rest of the package has been in force for 3 years and it is working quite well without the bit that will come into force on 1 July. Nobody has offered any argument as to why that situation cannot just continue. 
Then of course we heard about the children who have been attacked. All of us feel deeply about that as any human being would. Gordon Copeland said that if the legislation prevented one attack on a child it would be worth passing. I agree but nobody in this House tonight has offered one shred of evidence that the legislation would do so. Nobody has come up with a single skerrick of evidence let alone proof—and I have been listening for it—that microchipping would make children any safer. I would be prepared to change my vote right now if someone could convince me microchipping would work but nobody has actually even tried to do so. 
Then of course New Zealand First negotiated that there would be a review. A review is what the Government always offers people to try to get them to support something for a while because who knows where those people will be in 3 years’ time anyway when it is time for a review. What do members think a review after 3 years would find given that the national dog database would be up and running the money would have been spent microchippers would be in all the council rooms and vet rooms and 3 years’ worth of young puppies would have been chipped? It would be very hard to overturn the practice at that stage. If members can vote for a bill tonight without a shred of evidence that it will work they can just as easily vote in a review in 3 years’ time to do nothing. 
This bill is about dogs and clearly it is about poodles because I can only conclude that the poodles are in the House tonight—three in one party and seven in another. Those parties are subjecting dog owners to this totally unnecessary fuss because they have promised the Prime Minister. I tell farmers dog owners and common-sense members of the public that United Future and New Zealand First have let them down tonight. 
But it is not the end. The Local Government and Environment Committee still has a Local Government Law Reform Bill before it. Metiria Turei has put up at the select committee an amendment that will do basically the same as this bill and so I understand has David Carter. There will be a majority in that committee for Ms Turei’s amendment. It will come back to the House. There is time for those members who have voted against the bill tonight to reconsider. I challenge them to come up with one shred of evidence that the microchipping of dogs will protect one child in any situation whatsoever because they have not done so tonight.