Salesa Jenny; Brownlee Gerry; Bennett DavidCHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): First we have some amendments. Hon Dr Smith's tabled amendment to clause 1 changing the title of the bill to the Local Electoral (Ignore the public vote) Amendment Act" is out of order as not being a serious amendment. Hon Dr Smith has also tabled an amendment to clause 1 changing the title of the bill to the "Local Electoral (Under-arm delivery by Labour Government) Amendment Act". It's out of order as not being a serious amendment. Hon Dr Nick Smith's tabled amendment to clause 1 changing the title of the bill to the "Local Electoral (Stacks the cards in favour of Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act" is out of order as not being a serious amendment. Hon Dr Nick Smith's tabled amendment to clause 1 changing the title of the bill to the "Local Electorate (Screw the scrum in favour of Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act" is out of order as not being a serious amendment.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National): Point of order. Madam Chair I think it would be helpful if you were to quote the Standing Order that reaches a conclusion like that.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The member will give me a minute. I have one more question to put to you all while the Clerk looks up the Speaker's ruling. Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National): Point of order. The problem is that many of those questions that you have ruled out haven't been put so if we move on then there's no way of going back. You and the Clerk both know that's the case and we have a right to wait for an answer.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): Hon Gerry Brownlee you've asked for more information about why the clause 1 amendments by Dr Nick Smith have been ruled out of order. They have been ruled out of order; the Clerk is actually looking for the information to give you but I will continue with the next amendment which is Christopher Luxon's amendment.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National): The problem is that any Standing Order is contestable. The House is the master of its own destiny so a Standing Order is contestable. To simply say "No it's been ruled. It's in Standing Orders therefore we progress."—that is as bad as the intentions of this bill in itself. You can't ignore Parliament or parliamentarians. If there is going to be an amendment put on the Table and you are going to rule that it is just out of order because it's not serious then there has to be some Standing Order backing to that. Members can put forward any amendments that they like—that's why we are here at Parliament. So before we progress I think we need to know exactly what it is that you're relying on to make this ruling.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): So it is Speakers' ruling 122/2 which is about the title clause: "An amendment to the title of a bill must be a serious or objective description of the bill rather than an attempt to criticise its contents." Hon Simon Bridges: Point of order.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): I have ruled on this point of order; I am moving forward. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga): The problem is this Madam Chair. Effectively in what you said you're saying "Well they're not serious." I'd suggest to you if you take the "screwing the scrum" amendment to the title for example it may be colloquial but it's deadly serious and for you to rule that it's not serious—what you're effectively saying—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The member will take his seat. I have made my ruling and if you're seriously going to say that we should have a law that actually has "screw the scrum" in it—I've made the ruling and we are moving on. It is up to me as the Chair to make a ruling as to what is in order.Hon DAVID BENNETT (National): Point of order. I don't think you can say that you made a ruling because you couldn't refer to the actual clause. If you had made a ruling you'd understand what you're talking about and the clause that you were ruling to. You had to refer to the Clerks to try to find a reason to do that and—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The member will take his seat. Hon David Bennett: Well no did you know that it was ruling 122/2 before?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): David Bennett I have made a ruling. I was asked to quote the Speakers' ruling; I have. We are now moving on.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National): Madam Chair what is the ruling you've made?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): That they are all out of order—that all of Nick Smith's amendments are out of order.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National): No no that's not a ruling that's a procedural decision.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): That is a ruling by the Chair of the committee and we are in committee at the moment.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National): A ruling is something that's written down eventually in Speakers' Rulings so there's another terminology and I think we should get it right because it's pretty bluntly insulting to be told that they're frivolous amendments when they are in fact reasonable—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The member will take his seat as well. What is insulting is when I give a ruling as the Chair of this committee and I keep on being challenged about the ruling.CHRIS BISHOP (National): Point of order. Thank you Madam Chair. I just want to be very clear with what's happened here. Are you ruling that the word or phrase "screw the scrum" can no longer now be inserted or be attempted to be inserted into the title of bills? Because that is a very serious ruling if that's the case.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): So Speakers' ruling 122/2 states that the amendment to the title of a bill "must be a serious or objective description of the bill rather than an attempt to criticise" the contents of that legislation or the bill. That is actually the ruling that I'm referring to and all of Nick Smith's clause 1 amendments to the title are not serious and I've ruled them out of order. Hon David Bennett: Point of order.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): I have made my ruling. Is this a fresh point of order?Hon DAVID BENNETT (National): Yes it is a fresh point of order. I understand that you have said that they're not serious and I can understand that that's your view but the wording of ruling 122/2 actually says "or"—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The member will take his seat. Hon David Bennett: It says "or"—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The member will take his seat. [Interruption] I am on my feet; the member will take his seat. I have made a ruling on all of these amendments by the Hon Nick Smith. They are out of order.Hon Members: Point of order.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): I will no longer take a point of order on this; I have made my ruling.Hon SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga): It's a fresh one—I have a fresh point of order. Thank you Madam Chair. I think what's incredibly important is to understand—because it does affect frankly whether we take the significant step of going further than this and having someone higher than the Chair rule on these issues—Hon Member: Stop messing with the Chair.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Excuse me—point of order Madam Chair. I'm trying to make a point of order and they should be heard in silence. I simply want to know this: has Madam Chair ruled on these as a blanket ruling—she's just cursorily looked over them all and as a group said they're not serious—or has she given particular consideration to each one? Because it seems to me the former is simply not right and cannot stand.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): I have made a ruling on all of the amendments by the Hon Nick Smith—that all of the amendments that he's put through are out of order because they are not serious. The question is that Christopher Luxon's tabled amendment to clause 1 changing the title of the bill to the "Local Electoral (Removal of Poll on Māori Wards and Māori Constituents) Amendment Act" be agreed to."