Williams ArenaARENA WILLIAMS (Labour—Manurewa): Madam Speaker tēnā koe. I oppose this bill but the member who brought it the House is a well-respected member with his community at heart and it's an important issue so it's important to me to be able to speak about why. The purpose of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act when it was introduced was to increase community say over alcohol licensing decisions. This bill silences the community in the particular case of race meetings and drags this Parliament even further into the regulatory black hole of an Act which has not given communities—that's the mums the teachers the principals the other business owners and the churchgoers who live near these venues and alcohol shops—the clout that they need in licensing decisions. I want to thank Mr McKelvie for bringing this bill to the House. He has recognised that reform of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act is needed and that section 235 of the Act is poorly worded and could encapsulate events and parties that don't need to be regulated at all. I agree with him that the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act needs amendment and I want the legislation to do three things. Those are three factors that I use to assess this bill so let me tell you what they are. First the legislation shall allow communities to make meaningful contributions to licensing decisions. Second it should be a piece of legislation that allows licensing bodies to take into account alcohol's contribution to health and social issues within the community they are considering. Third it should create a better way of regulating alcohol that leads to thriving healthy regions cities and towns where those on the lowest incomes and Māori and Pacific people aren't disproportionately affected by the impact of alcohol. Because the current legislation makes it far too difficult for communities to object to licences and this bill would only make it harder in particular circumstances.I believe that it should not be left to communities to have to fight against licences and yet people know they have to object to licences because of the proliferation of alcohol outlets in their communities. It's time-consuming it's expensive and sometimes it's humiliating but it is important for them to be a part of that because more alcohol outlets means more alcohol-related harm it means more noise more smashed bottles in our playgrounds more incidences of family violence more drink-driving and more serious crashes. Let me speak to why I object to the effect of this proposed reform and briefly comment on the reform that is needed. What does the bill do? It creates this exemption to section 235. Section 235 requires occupiers of unlicensed premises to get a special licence if that premises is going to be used to buy and sell alcohol. In practice that means people who are doing something with a venue like managing it putting on a concert or show at it selling tickets to come in or charging an entry fee at the door or providing security are required to apply for a special licence. Then if the police have concerns about the group applying they can object. Racing clubs can apply for special licences and they get them. But this bill would mean that when police have the concerns they wouldn't be able to object to racing clubs only. Justice Minister Kris Faafoi is working to review the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act and there is work going on in this area by the Government and members—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Order! Order! Order! I'm just going to invite the member to put her script to one side stop reading the speech and debate the bill in the House. ARENA WILLIAMS: I am sorry Madam Speaker. I'm very conscious of my time and I have a lot to say about this bill. ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Well I might invite the member to get on with it.ARENA WILLIAMS: I will. Let me then finally comment on how the effect of this legislation has a wider impact: that when we discourage the police from raising objections to licences whether they are in race club meetings whether they are in any circumstances where people who are putting on an event might apply for a special licence we further disenfranchise those communities who are already trying to speak up against them. That further disenfranchises the people who are most affected by alcohol harm and we around this House know that that is people in South Auckland who look like me. Māori women are the most affected by the harms of alcohol through family violence through abuse of alcohol. We are the most affected by driving offences with alcohol harm - related incidences. We are the most affected by crime with alcohol as a factor. By weakening the protections that exist in the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act we create more alcohol-related harm in our communities. That is not something I can tolerate and that is why I am voting against this bill.