Mooney JosephJOSEPH MOONEY (National—Southland): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise to speak on the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill. May I say at the outset that I don't think anyone—or certainly no one I've heard—disagrees with the intention behind this bill the good meaning which is inherent in this bill. The conversion practice that would make someone question or have a lack of belief or courage in who they are is something that should not ever be encouraged or supported. In fact we should ensure as best we can in our society that our young people are supported to be who they are and to make the decisions that they feel are best for them. I can certainly say for me personally that I have numerous family members who are in the LGBTQIA+ community and so it's something I'm aware of at a personal level. Fortunately my personal knowledge doesn't extend to those members being subject to conversion practices but it's certainly something that I've heard about and as I've heard from other people in this House it would fill me with horror that that would happen.However there is an important point which has been raised this evening by the Hon Paul Goldsmith and Nicole McKee and we just need some clarity from the Minister—I'm hoping it comes in the committee of the whole House stage—on the concerns raised by parents. There is a real concern that hasn't fully been clarified as I read this bill about whether parents or caregivers could be caught by this bill if they for example withheld consent for medical intervention in relation to gender transition for what they consider their child's best interests. As a father of three children that's not something I've had to personally deal with but certainly I know that during that formative stage of a young person coming into their teenage years there is a lot of uncertainty. Certainly if a parent thought that it was in the best interest of their child not to have a medical intervention that could have longstanding consequences for them that's something that I would not want to see criminalised. I know there has been discussion that that is not in the intention of this bill but it would be helpful if for example in the examples of conversion practices that was made clear to alleviate those concerns that a number of parents in our country have. I note that we need to get the right balance between free speech on one hand and harms on the other. I note that free speech has led our country to have some significant social change which has been of great benefit to our country—for example back in 1986 the homosexual law reform which led to huge change in our country and has obviously led us on the journey which has led us to where we are today. I just want to encourage the Government to make sure we get the right balance in this bill to carry on that good work to make sure people in our communities feel safe and so that we have a good balance between the interests of those parents who are concerned that they will be captured for having well-meaning discussions with their children—particularly around medical intervention—and it is the intention of this bill to ensure that young people can feel safe to express themselves and to explore their identity and their sexuality. Thank you Mr Speaker.