Scott AlastairALASTAIR SCOTT (National—Wairarapa): Thank you very much Madam Chair. I didn't come into this place to be a lapdog of the leader. I didn't come into this place to be a number. I didn't come into this place to be told what to do. I came into this place because I was voted by my electorate to voice my opinion to voice my ideas and to express what I felt about an issue. Minister Little is shaking his head because I know what he'll say. He will say You can still do that Mr Scott." He'll say "You can still do that because you're an electorate MP and you have a vote as a member of Parliament." That is true. That is true under this bill. But the problem with this bill is that it stymies that independence. It stymies the ability to express a view. It hinders people's ability to cross the floor. The Minister in his last call said exactly the same thing. He said that he or she can cross the floor but that it might trigger this legislation. They might feel uncomfortable crossing the floor because it might trigger this piece of legislation and therefore they might end up being kicked out of the party. That's what the Minister just said. He knows that this piece of legislation hinders the ability of MPs to operate as independent voices of their electorate. Now ask Mr Damien O'Connor what he would have done with regard to his crossing of the floor vis-à-vis the windthrown trees with this bill in place. Would he have had the balls to cross the floor? Would he have? I don't know. We will never know. But my point is that this bill stymies the ability of the person to cross the floor.Nikki Kaye's name's already been mentioned. She crossed the floor from this side to that because she had a view that she wanted to express and this bill stymies that ability to express the views of the electorate. Even though yes the member can continue to advocate continue to speak out about the interests of their particular electorate at the end of the day there's a threat there's an attitude and there is a hindrance to the members' ability to express themselves freely.Now the other point the Minister made in his last contribution—then he said the ridiculous thing that you cross the floor and there's a possibility and you should stand up for your electorate in a by-election. I mean that's just the most ridiculous suggestion. If that really is the result of this piece of legislation then that's expensive wasteful and unnecessary. But the other point the Minister made was around Simeon Brown's secret ballot. He said that the constitution of the parties should be able to dictate and allow for—and I'm sort of assuming here but the Minister implied that the constitution of the various parties should allow for the voting procedures to establish your two-thirds. It may be that on this side we do have a secret vote to determine the two-thirds and that's a good thing because of the argument that Mr Brown put which is that it gives people confidence to express themselves without being threatened in any way by the rest of the group. But why not instil that in the legislation? Why not make it—because it is an important issue. Other parties may not have a secret ballot to determine whether the two-thirds agree against the one-third or the two-thirds agree to kick a party member out. They don't have to have a secret ballot. I think it's important that there is a secret ballot and that there is an ability at least to improve the bill as Mr Brown was trying to do to ensure that the constitution of the parties—well not the constitution. In fact put it in legislation so that it overrides the constitution of the parties to ensure that there is the ability to have a secret vote a secret ballot and thereby protect the members of the parties across the House to determine in a much more fair and reasonable and sensible way the two-thirds majority that is required under this bill to kick a member of their party out.So as I say I'm pretty disappointed. I'm not here to be a number and that is why I'm very pleased to be standing here today talking and speaking against this bill."