Mallard Trevor: Crimes (Match-fixing) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMallard Trevor: Crimes (Match-fixing) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 02 December 2014. Volume:702;Page:997. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South):I want to reiterate to the Government whip in particular that if we get these questions answered then the debate is finished. If the questions the Opposition is asking are properly answered by Minister Smith—not in the way that I heard the Minister answer before but straight answers to straight questions—then as far as the Labour Opposition is concerned this debate will be completed. I cannot though speak for the other parties.There has been a series of questions asked. They are serious questions. They concern the commencement date when it starts. You know we are under a lot of pressure to get this through. The legislation comes into effect it says on 15 December. It could probably come into effect earlier than that if the Government wanted it to and gave straight answers. I want the Minister to give the straight answers. I am not the slightest bit interested in Mr Sabin after his reprehensible behaviour when he was giving answers to the questions that have been asked.I do want to ask the activity question. I am asking whether it will capture individuals who are involved in match fixing if they are currently offshore and if the activity is in New Zealand. What is the territorial basis for this—for the activity for the procurement and for the betting? Does a Centrebet bet count if it is made from New Zealand? Does a bet in the local pub count if it is made from New Zealand? If it is an activity in New Zealand and it is procured from Australia and the bet is in India is it captured? Who is captured? Is it only the people in New Zealand or is it the people who are involved offshore? Are they captured as well?I also want to ask a question about the International Cricket Council. Was it consulted and what was its response? One of the advantages of being a former Minister is that you do get a little bit of feedback from organisations and I know that New Zealand Cricket was certainly consulted. But was the International Cricket Council consulted and is it satisfied that this legislation does enough? Even more important is do the people who are really pulling the strings in international cricket care? Do the people from the subcontinent involved in this area—obviously not the New Zealanders involved—actually care or are there so many people on the take in this particular area that they actually encourage some of this approach?What consultation has there been with the sports broadcasting organisations including the international broadcasters especially around the timing issues? I think all of us know that on occasions the way that modern television occurs there is sometimes a slight delay and it is to fit in advertisements at the end of an over or during the ends of overs but it means that the timing is not exactly right. The question then is have there been consultations in that area and if so what are the results of those consultations? Of course a very slight delay gives a massive opportunity for spot fixing. It can be just 30 seconds and millions of rupees can be won or lost as a result of a spot-fixing approach where the result is certain to everyone—well not everyone; everyone other than the people who are taking the bets. They do not know about the exact result in this area.I go back to the Minister and I go back to the Government whips and ask whether they are prepared to answer the questions—or would the members opposite like to continue this debate at a clause an hour when in fact we would be prepared to wrap it up in 2 minutes?