Tisch Lindsay: Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 3) — First Reading 
Tisch Lindsay: Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 3) — First Reading 
[Volume:620;Page:15985] 
LINDSAY TISCH (National—Piako) 
: 
 National will support the Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 3) going through to the select committee. This is an annual bill to confirm and validate a range of regulations. It may not be the most sought after or enthralling legislation but having sat on the Regulations Review Committee and having analysed what it all means I know that it is a very important piece of legislation and will need very close scrutiny. I was unaware of the late addition of the order relating to the deer industry that the Acting Leader of the House mentioned. One of the concerns we have found with legislation such as the Statutes Amendment Bill that goes to the Government Administration Committee is that there are always late entries. Departments think that they had better do something about an issue and bring forward legislation at the last minute. When we come to debate the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 4) I will make that point very strongly. It is unsatisfactory. If there is to be cooperation from all parties in passing legislation then it is incumbent on the Minister and on those departments to have that legislation before the House and the select committee in time for close scrutiny. In this case where regulations concerning the deer industry are due to expire and need to be renewed the same applies. Although I know that Richard Worth as chairman of the Regulations Review Committee will take that on board I think the message needs to go out that it is not our role to make sure departments get their legislation in on time. 
I move to what this bill is about. It has two parts. Part 1 “General and technical provisions” is a very small part. Part 2 “Confirmations and validations” comprises clauses 6 to 13. One area in particular that I have concern about is clause 11 “Gambling Act 2003” which refers to the Gambling (Problem Gambling Levy) Regulations 2004. I have asked parliamentary questions of the Minister about the process that is gone through. I asked specifically through an Official Information Act request for the commission’s report on the proposed problem gambling levy rates as provided for in section 318(5) of the Gambling Act and I have a copy of that here. It was not released at the time; I had to go to the Ombudsman to get that document. 
I found that satisfactory answers have not been given to my questions as to why there is a huge increase in the problem gambling levy. That huge increase has not been justified by any substantive research. There is a huge $55 million problem gambling levy to be spread over 3 years with no research from the Ministry of Health which will now be administering that legislation and no basis over the whole industry to justify and substantiate how that Ministry of Health levy has been arrived at. 
I will be sitting on the Regulations Review Committee which will be looking closely at this bill and I will be asking some questions there that I have not had satisfactorily answered by the Minister through my parliamentary questions. That is something I will be looking at very very closely. I know that under the chairmanship of my colleague Richard Worth this legislation will get close scrutiny and that the committee will perform its duties in a diligent way while considering this legislation.