Twyford PhilLAND TRANSPORT (DRUG DRIVING) AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingHon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control) on behalf of the Minister of Transport: I present a legislative statement on the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill. ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website. Hon PHIL TWYFORD: I move That the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill be now read a second time. The aim of this bill is to establish a new roadside random oral fluid testing regime to deter people from driving after consuming impairing drugs and at this second reading debate I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the work of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee for their work on the bill. I also want to extend thanks on behalf of the Minister of Transport to members of the Independent Expert Panel on Drug Driving for their considerable expertise in developing the advice for this bill. Of course this is also the moment to thank all of those who came along to the committee and submitted their views on the bill. Our Government is committed to improving road safety outcomes on New Zealand roads and improving safety and saving lives is at the heart of this bill. Over the last five years it's disturbing that the number of deceased drivers found with drugs in their blood is at unacceptable levels. A driver who's consumed drugs not only puts themselves at risk but of course they also put the lives of other road users in peril. In 2019 110 people were killed in crashes where a driver was found to have drugs in their system. That represents shockingly nearly a third of all road deaths. I think one of the interesting things about this bill and the strong support there is for this reform here in Parliament but also across the country is that even at a time when there is growing public support for a more liberal and enlightened approach to dealing with the harm that drugs do in our society and there's growing support for an approach that is less punitive and that takes a health-based approach at the same time there is an appetite for a tougher less forgiving approach to people who put the lives of others at risk on the roads by consuming drugs before they drive. It might seem a paradox but actually it's not because both approaches are about minimising harm and reducing the risk to people's lives. I want to focus in my brief comments on the amendments contained in the bill as reported back to the Parliament. The changes include setting criminal limits and blood infringement thresholds for 25 impairing drugs and that has been informed by the advice of the expert panel on drug driving that I mentioned earlier. Secondly we are ensuring that drivers do not receive an infringement defence when they have only low levels of a drug in their blood that are unlikely to be impairing. We are amending the bill so that criminal limits and infringement thresholds can be set and amended by Order in Council in the future so that we can respond to changing drug use patterns and new information about drug impairment. A new medical defence pathway for drivers who have consumed a prescription drug in line with advice from their medical professional—this would provide drivers with access to this defence for oral fluid test results without requiring them to take a blood test—and we're adding some more requirements around the approval of oral fluid testing devices to ensure that this process is robust and transparent. Finally we are ensuring that the new criminal limits and blood infringement thresholds are incorporated appropriately into existing drug-driving offences in the Land Transport Act. This bill is a key part of the Government's Road to Zero action plan for improved road safety outcomes. It's a massive programme of change in our transport policy. It covers everything from an overhaul and modernisation of the entire regulatory system through to this bill and the investment of a great deal of money in the redesigning and re-engineering of our transport infrastructure to save lives. This bill aims to reduce road trauma by improving the approach to detecting and deterring the high-risk behaviour with drug-impaired driving. Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 24 has added criminal limits and blood infringement thresholds for 25 drugs as recommended by the independent expert panel and I'm pleased to report that amendments in the SOP have addressed many of the concerns raised by submitters and those of the Attorney-General. So again let me thank those who made a submission on the bill who have improved it and all the work that was done at the select committee—thank you for all that contribution to the democratic process. Our Government is committed to improving road safety outcomes. Too many people die and are seriously injured on our roads each year. The level of trauma being sustained by the people of New Zealand is completely unacceptable. We can do better. This bill is an important step in taking us there. I commend the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill to this House.