O'Rourke Denis: Immigration Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Rourke Denis: Immigration Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10619. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DENIS O’ROURKE (NZ First): New Zealand First takes people-smuggling and border control very seriously. New Zealand cannot afford to be seen as a soft touch by would-be people-smugglers or illegal immigrants. We accept that there is in fact a risk that mass arrivals are possible here as they have been in Australia. We agree also thatthe risk is small for now but what about next year or what about next month for that matter?Deterrence is an important element to discourage mass arrivals by boats and vessels with the capability to reach New Zealand must be considered a real possibility. Deterrence is a basic consideration for all criminal activity so we cannot accept the argument that deterrence is not relevant for these matters. Therefore the amendments proposed by this Immigration Amendment Bill will at this stage be supported by New Zealand First but subject to the condition that Supplementary Order Paper 219 in the name of the Rt Hon Winston Peters is agreed to—and I will come to that in a moment.New Zealand First has the most consistent stance on border control of all political parties. We have what I would call a strict regime approach to the whole issue of immigration which we think is currently far too lax in far too many ways and that is where we would part company with the Labour Party which I think would be even worse. We are especially concerned in respect of all cases of illegal entry and more especially again if New Zealand is faced with illegal mass arrivals. We have a hard-line approach because we put New Zealand first and the Labour Party obviously does not. If that means perceived—and I stress the word “perceived”—non-compliance with international conventions then so be it. We see New Zealand interests first in priority rather than the soft approach which other parties would foist upon us.In this day and age this matter is at the forefront of the protection of New Zealand and the integrity of our borders. New Zealand First will never tolerate illegal entry to this country and we will not accept the many and various excuses people involved give for their illegal activities. We also know that if we adopt a soft approach we will not be doing enough to protect the lives of people who are the customers of the people-traffickers.Notwithstanding New Zealand First’s hard-line approach New Zealand First is committed to meeting New Zealand’s international obligations under the United Nations quota programme for 750 people each year. Illegal immigration puts strain on our ability to meet those obligations. Illegal arrivals are actually nothing more than queue-jumpers who must not be rewarded at the expense of those who follow correct process. This will happen if mass arrivals get out of control. Although that is unlikely we must still be prepared for it not only so that we can handle it if it occurs but as I said before to deter people-traffickers and their customers from trying it on.The bill assumes that the New Zealand authorities actually have the capacity required to deal with mass arrival defined as over 10 people together. This means the relevant Government departments and agencies must have the capacity to set up one or more detention centres for illegal refugees within 24 hours of their arrival. We see no guarantee that such systems or plans are in place and the bill in its present form places no expectations on the authorities to adequately deliver those facilities. New Zealand First therefore strongly urges the Government to support Winston Peters’ Supplementary Order Paper which would ensure that proper systems are in place to deal with mass arrivals as they happen if or when they happen and which specifically requires the chief executive officer of the Department of Corrections with the authority of the Prime Minister—