Doocey MattMATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. I rise in support of the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill. To start off 2022 I think it's a reminder of what an absolute privilege it is to be a member of Parliament and the House of Representatives and I want to acknowledge everyone here tonight for this considered debate about a very important issue. My sense is both sides of the argument have a lot of commonalities and it's right that we debate this bill in the second reading and go on to the committee of the whole House to test the integrity of the drafting of the bill and the integrity of the legislation so that it will deliver what it says it will deliver.I stand here tonight as the mental health and suicide prevention spokesperson for the National Party and also the youth spokesperson and the inaugural Young Nats patron a role I was excited to accept. I did say to the Young Nats though that if I accepted this inaugural role of being their patron I wasn't signing up to going out drinking with them—I'm way too old for that now. But these are a group of young people who are absolutely passionate about their country as I'm sure all the other youth wings are as well. I also stand here tonight as an individual who's been on both sides of the therapeutic alliance: someone who's been a consumer and someone who's been a mental health practitioner. As we do say in mental health it is a fine line between provider and consumer at times. I also stand here as someone who's a proud father of two young children a boy and a girl—and I do look forward to celebrating their sexual orientation their gender identity that they will decide—and as someone who grew up in a faith-based community and still goes to church.Second readings are about the submissions and I want to bring voice to one submission and that is from the Young Nats. The Young Nats have been championing the banning of conversion practices since late 2019 and I want to acknowledge them for all their advocacy. It is difficult I think having different views especially when those differing views are within your own caucus but I think that it's important that we do debate them. I want to acknowledge Stephanie-Anne Ross the president of the New Zealand Young Nationals and Madison Chamberlain the national policy chair of the New Zealand Young Nationals. They were very clear in their submission on why they supported the banning of conversion practices which is that There is no evidence that conversion practices work." and I think that when you look at some of the institutions—the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and the New Zealand Association of Counsellors—this practice does not work and actually causes harm.That's their second point: conversion practices do harm. We know our young people have high rates of mental distress at that part of the life course as they navigate their way through identity and development. Those in our rainbow community have higher rates of mental distress and suicide attempts and of course those who have been through conversion therapy have even higher rates of suicide attempts and unfortunately even higher rates of suicide.They said that "Engaging in conversion practices is often not a choice."—there is a lot of coercion—and that the difference between parenting and subjecting a child to conversion practices is different. The Young Nats don't want to see parents being prosecuted but they clearly believe that there is a difference here—and I support them in that statement—and also that prohibition of these practices does not impact religious freedom: "There is a substantial difference between expressing a religious principle and subjecting an individual to conversion practices." Thank you very much Mr Speaker."