Borrows Chester: Alcohol Reform Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Borrows Chester: Alcohol Reform Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 06 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7306. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon CHESTER BORROWS (Acting Minister of Justice) 
: 
 Thank you for the opportunity to make another contribution. We have heard a lot of colourful debate across the Chamber. It is actually heartening I think that on a bill like this the Alcohol Reform Bill which is so fundamental to social issues within our country the debate is pretty passionate. The screaming and the yelling the shouting down the failing to listen and the accusations of others failing to listen—I guess if it is ever pertinent it is going to be for something like this. The fact is that many of us in the Committee have got history and experience with alcohol and its use and its abuse. Maybe we have been part of dealing with the effects of that through our work or maybe it is through our personal lives with family members etc. etc. 
Some of the accusations are pretty difficult to stomach—for instance the continued accusation that the Government has been in the pockets of the liquor industry. People on the other side especially senior members on the other side will know that they have only to look back in history at where the donations come from to see which came from the liquor industry and which did not. The last time I looked the party that got a big substantial donation from a player in the liquor industry was in 2002 and it was not the National Party. So those sorts of accusations are groundless. They make really good radio and TV listening but they do not stack up with the facts. I think it is very important to just take heed of some of those comments. 
Another comment has been about whether votes on this bill should be conscience votes or party votes. I can say as the chair of the Justice and Electoral Committee that all the way through the discussion was always and the recommendation from the Law Commission was that the votes on these alcohol questions should be party votes—that parties should stand up and nail their colours to the mast as parties as to where they stand on this except for on the question of age. I endorsed that and so did the Labour Party members on that committee during the whole discussion period around alcohol reform. 
There have also been a number of accusations made against the Minister of Justice who is currently overseas. Some of the accusations that have been made are that she has got some vested interest in brassing off local people and preventing them from having an impact on local decisions in respect of alcohol. But it is also interesting to note that although a bill promoted by the Labour Party when it was last in Government had a local alcohol plan of sorts it is this bill that allows local licensing committees to make decisions on breaches of those local alcohol plans—and it has been introduced by this Government. That hardly stacks up then with an accusation that the National Government does not want local people making local decisions about the stuff that affects them. It is absolutely ridiculous. 
The last point I want to make is in respect of Mr Twyford’s comments around the time it has taken to get the regulations built around this for the implementation of this legislation. It is hugely frustrating and I understand that perfectly. There would not be anyone in this Committee who would not like to be able to snap their fingers and do it tomorrow. But whether you like it or not the cumbersome animal that government is does not allow that to happen. 
Another point is that those of us who have been working with alcohol legislation for decades now know that when you rush the regulation-making powers you cock it up. Sale of alcohol legislation and regulation has been a cock-up for generation after generation. 
Phil Twyford 
: Chester are you saying it takes 12 months to write a regulation? 
Hon CHESTER BORROWS 
: I believe that it should not have to take that long. The advice that we have been given is that it will. I believe we need to get it right not fast. We need to get it right. 
Phil Twyford 
: Twelve months? 
Hon CHESTER BORROWS 
: I am not making an argument about whether it should be 12 months 6 months or 2 weeks. The point I am making is this: if you rush it it is a cock-up. It is a cock-up to try to enforce and it is a cock-up to try to live within. That is right. 
There is a Supplementary Order Paper from the Government that has made the point that it allows councils territorial local authorities to be able to draft their plans to be able to negotiate and discuss things and to be able to consult on them and they will be able to do that ahead of that date because the bill was not plain on those points in the past. 
I want to finish off again I guess by just congratulating the select committees that have worked on this bill and this Committee. As I said at the beginning of this short speech a robust debate around alcohol reform is totally appropriate. Although from time to time we would like to lean across to the other side and give members a smack—and they us—it is totally appropriate that we speak on this with passion.