Verrall AyeshaHon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Labour): I repeat that tonight we have really passed through the looking glass to a world of unreality. For me personally the most unreal thing about this debate is that as someone who came to this Parliament as an epidemiologist to be told on multiple occasions that my request for facts my demands to have a debate based on the actual policy that the desire to have statistics and modelling actually answered are emotional contributions.I could not have been more of a scientist when I brought together the three items that were in the 2022 bill that that is being repealed tonight. To remind the House what those are we used the evidence from multiple scientific studies multiple clinical trials to denicotinise cigarettes because this is one of the most effective tools for helping people quit and yet we are told that these interventions are not effective enough and that there are other effective alternatives.It was our colleague Dr Reti who told us during the debate on the 2022 bill that this was so outstandingly effective that it should be brought in on its own. The bill included a well-studied initiative to reduce the number of retail outlets because we know the number and density of retail outlets promote youth smoking and they undermine people's ability to quit. And we brought in a smoke-free generation a truly ambitious piece of law that would mean that the people who are young today born after 2009 would never be able to legally purchase tobacco—Hon Grant Robertson: Even Rishi Sunak liked that.Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: —and that all the harms we heard about tobacco would not be part of their future lives. As my colleague Grant Robertson is adding this is not radical law; in fact the Conservatives in the United Kingdom plan to bring this in. We used evidence in bringing that together. We brought up modelling and that modelling was done by international experts in modelling. It told us not only that the smoke-free goal wouldn't be reached until 2061 without our Act; it also told us that it would take away a third of the life expectancy gap for wāhine Māori. On a day where we have done such harm to the ambitions and aspirations of Māori health and have been told that that Government over there is focused on Māori health outcomes the single thing that could be done to improve Māori health outcomes they're not going to do it. This would be the most powerful thing and they're not going to do it.We've asked about Treaty obligations because that is a factual element of how we should set law and we haven't had adequate answers on that. We've asked about the health consequences of this bill and we've not had adequate engagement. We've had Yeah there are problems but these things wouldn't be effective." We've not had adequate answers on the financial costs of this bill. Instead because there are no financial consequences of this bill because there's been no regulatory impact statement we don't know if the Government has been properly advised on the impacts of this bill on the health system but I know from the advice that I got that it's likely to cost the health system $5 billion.We have seen multiple contributions to the previous Act from people up and down the country. Thousands of people came to the Health Committee and told us about the misery that tobacco causes in their lives. My colleague Tangi Utikere took some of those hearings throughout the country and really took the time to engage and learn from our community. And that opportunity the opportunity to comment on the laws that we have to live by was denied to the community because this bill resulted from a dirty deal that's been run through under urgency.We've had a Minister in the chair tonight who has not really been able to answer questions but has just referred that the reason for the policy is the policy. It has been extremely frustrating. So if the Minister wants to describe that frustration as emotional then perhaps she could take some responsibility for it by being able to give some proper answers.The questions that we have about this whole policy area and the influence of tobacco lobbyists on this policy have not been adequately answered. We've been transacting with the Minister at question time for multiple weeks the issue of how a mystery document seeking tax breaks for the tobacco industry turned up in her office and there's been no good enough answer.This stinks—it stinks. All of you need to think about the harm you are doing to our communities. All of the Government needs to think about that. I know Dr Reti is thinking about that because I can see him over there. What's he doing all the way over there? He's been so quiet. I can barely see him in the distance. He's sitting very far from the rest of his colleagues. I wonder what Dr Reti thinks. He hasn't taken a call on this bill. Well I just wonder if it's shame.Hon Grant Robertson: I think it will be.Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Yeah I think it will be because he's a man who's taken an oath to uphold health and look what's being done which reminds me of all the people who support this initiative. It's worth reminding ourselves who they are. The 45000 New Zealanders who signed Hāpai te Hauora's petition—we're not listening to them tonight are we? The more than 60 percent of New Zealanders who support the bill in its original form; they don't support your repeal—we're not thinking about them tonight at all. We're not thinking about the hundreds of medical and health organisations that signed an open letter to the Prime Minister condemning the move to repeal this bill. The action that the Government is taking is deeply unpopular. It is unpopular because everyone in the country knows it's wrong. I want to finish my speech on a more positive note. I want to tell my colleagues that it's been such an honour to work with them on smoke-free. I want to thank the people from cancer societies up and down the country who work tirelessly for smoke-free. I've had amazing meetings with cancer societies—those in South Canterbury and Palmerston North more recently are just some that stand out in my mind.I want to remind all of the colleagues I met at marae up and down the country including my friend from Te Pāti Māori on Manukau Marae who have been activists for this cause for a long time. I want to thank all the health charities like the Stroke Foundation and diabetes groups who have worked for smoke-free for so so long. I want to thank the researchers including those that have contributed so much to the debate about this bill and to the original piece of work that we passed. I want to acknowledge those including those at the Public Health Communication Centre who have put out evidence showing how so many of the arguments from that side of the House match up exactly with statements from the tobacco industry. I want to particularly thank Health Coalition Aotearoa for their tireless work for this cause their bringing together of activists and experts in this area; the health unions Association of Salaried Medical Specialists and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation who organised rallies that we had up and down the country opposing the step this Government is taking; and the activists who have worked on this for a long time. There are too many to name but they include Hone Harawira Shane Bradbrook Anaru Waa Skye Kimura and many others I have met up and down the country. On the weekend I went to Hastings and met with Vape-Free Kids and they've been in the gallery tonight. Minister they still want a meeting with you.I want to thank the medical students who have also campaigned on this issue and in particular the many many young people who the Government has ignored tonight because of a politically convenient transaction. You are the people this Government has failed by bringing this Act through. You are the people who deserve a better go. You are the people who should be free from smoke. You should be free from corporate interests trying to steal your healthcare away from you. You should know that you could grow up in a community where if you had a disability or a chronic medical condition you'd be more likely to get treatment for it because we would have saved $5 billion of health costs if this bill hadn't been repealed.Those young people deserve a better future not just the track that we're already on. They deserve a new smoke-free generation. I know that all our collaborators and colleagues and allies inside the House and outside it will continue to work for that future. In particular I am so proud to say that we will support a citizens initiated referendum to overturn this terrible move. Debate interrupted."