Hutchison Paul: Immigration Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Hutchison Paul: Immigration Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
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Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (NZ National—Port Waikato) 
: This clause is particularly important in the context of the previous speeches made to this Parliament by the Minister who is now in the chair Lianne Dalziel. But it is even more important in the context of what should underpin immigration policy. Undoubtedly immigration policy needs to be predictable transparent certain and fair and on every one of those counts this bill before the Committee today brought in under urgency is neither predictable nor transparent nor certain nor fair. I certainly hope that the Minister in the chair will take a call on the words that she gave to this House back on 15 June 1999 particularly when regarding the process she said— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member should be speaking to the commencement date. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: Yes and this is absolutely relevant to the commencement date in that this bill was brought in under urgency and comes into force on the day on which it receives the royal assent—which unfortunately is likely to be today because there will be no select committee deliberation although that is one of the criteria that the Minister in the chair said was absolutely essential to it. After all the Minister in the chair— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the member but there is a cellphone going off in this House. That is out of order. There is a Speaker’s ruling about the use of cellphones in the House. They are not permitted. The member will withdraw and apologise for that breach. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: I certainly withdraw and apologise. I had turned it off but mysteriously it came on again—maybe because of the concern I have about this Minister! 
This Minister had 9 years in Opposition complaining about process and has had 47 months in Government giving her a reasonable opportunity to organise the Immigration Service but we have a shambles. There are 20000 applicants at stake here—46000 people who have had their lives absolutely turned upside down by this Minister who is bringing in under urgency this untimely bill. What an absolutely hopeless Minister she is to bring about this situation after all that time! It reflects her inability to manage an immigration process. It is absolutely a shambles. I hear time and time again from my constituents in Port Waikato about how absolutely difficult and hopeless it is to get an immigration application through in a manner anywhere near timely or consistent or even to be able to speak to immigration consultants or to communicate with the Immigration Service because of the absolute backlog and the unwillingness of the staff to answer calls emails and letters. That is the shambles that this Minister has brought about. 
Hence this commencement clause—which has been brought in under urgency—is a reflection of this Minister’s inability to handle a very sensitive portfolio that reflects on the lives of not just thousands of people but tens of thousands of people. She has brought about a shambles. She said she does not appreciate a Government using the urgency provisions of Parliament in order to avoid due process. I do hope that the Minister in the chair will reflect on her words and take a call and tell Parliament why she said those things.