Mark RonRON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First): I am so pleased—because I do have to get back to my desk—but I could not help but come down to the Chamber because right at the start of the debate I heard a comment from a Minister that I thought was a little bit unnecessary—Barbara Stewart: Unparliamentary.RON MARK: —and unparliamentary in my terms but more so because it was launched at probably the most least confrontational least controversial nicest MP in the House who is New Zealand First's Barbara Stewart. Why would the Minister dare to have a shot at Barbara Stewart because New Zealand First is opposing this bill? Then he went on to make some outlandish statement that New Zealand First was opposing the bill because we supported the tobacco industry.So I had to come down to rebut these assertions and remind the Committee of two things. I have heard a lot of comment from the Labour benches in support of this bill based around harm minimisation but nothing at all about the need to implement measures against smokers who harm themselves because they blow smoke in the face of a lady at a U2 concert and get punched in the mouth for their actions. Now—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): The member will resume his seat. We are now debating the Committee stage of the bill which are the details both of the bill and of Barbara Stewart's amendment. The comments you are making might have been marginally relevant at first or second reading; they are not now.RON MARK: My other point is to add some comment to some of the comments that have been made in the Chamber during this detailed debate in the Committee stage—some things that New Zealand First has considered as it has considered this bill whilst it sat in caucus. It is these inconsistencies in the debate—in the discussion in the evidence—that lead us to conclude that we will not vote for the bill like the fact that we do not believe that the evidence is strong enough.We have heard these arguments from the two parties National and Labour that are supporting the bill saying that this plain packaging will reduce smoking but we heard the same discussions—and these things came up in the hearings—about other measures that were taken that were supposedly going to reduce the levels of harm. We do not think that those things have happened. In fact we have seen harm in another form generated as a result of legislation such as this going through the House. We would point to the price changes. Everyone told us that raising the price of cigarettes would reduce the level of smoking—the same argument that is behind this legislation. On 12 May 2012 I stated in a debate that raising the prices and having this persistent attack on working class New Zealanders who choose to smoke—choose to smoke—would lead to crime. I predicted that in a debate—I did—on television.The Government of the day continued with Tariana Turia's measures in that respect much the same as it is doing now. It ignored the warning. But what have we seen? Well far from seeing strong evidence that plain packaging will work we have seen very very strong evidence that increasing the price—essentially implementing prohibition by economic measures. It is economic prohibition by elevating the price to such a level that you create a black market product and that is why this measure will not work—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): OK now the member has now gone on for a minute and a half in an area that was part of legislation passed some time ago and is not relevant to the clauses of this bill. Final warning to the member—stay on the clauses of the bill or I will terminate.RON MARK: I would like to say in concluding my speech at this point that our point is clear and we stand by that. We will vote against this legislation because plain packaging—I still do not understand whether plain packaging means a red shiny package is acceptable as plain packaging or if a blue shiny package which might well reflect something is acceptable—I do not know. But a shiny plain package—what we do understand and I have not seen it anywhere in the bill is that in time people become inoculated—