Mark RonHon RON MARK (NZ First): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. Well I really would like to congratulate that member Raymond Huo for his very considered and generous appraisal of this very thin piece of legislation which we are called upon to debate here this afternoon.I will actually as I did in the first reading when I spoke on this piece of legislation congratulate the member for the Wairarapa Mr Alastair Scott firstly on his clear and absolute victory in the Wairarapa where 13000-plus voters said that they wanted him to represent them as their elected member. And why did they do that? Because Mr Scott lives eats and breathes in the very heart of the Wairarapa. There is no denying that this is a member of the House who's thoroughly absolutely connected to his electorate—so much so that he reads the pulse from here frequently. He reads the pulse of the Wairarapa from Wellington frequently.That is why he was driven as a new MP to come to this House to spend so much time researching the issues which I know thousands of the people who voted for him brought to his electorate office. I know he'd spend many many hours sitting there holding clinics hearing from hundreds of his electorate people hearing their concerns putting them together coming to the House researching the law and coming to grips with the deficiencies in the law as pertains to the penalties for providing explosive devices to commit crime.Mr Scott put that research together came up with an amendment put the bill together put it into the ballot and hallelujah he was successful. I mean some other less generous people would say that Mr Scott on the instructions of his own party caucus colleagues and his Ministers crafted this bill together very quickly ably assisted by the Minister responsible and threw it in in order to act as a blocker to try and stop Opposition members getting their bills drawn. But I consider those to be very disingenuous comments not befitting the hard-working Mr Alastair Scott who brought this bill.Now at the time that we debated this bill—and I spent more time debating it than the Hon Maggie Barry just spent defending it which I think just clicked over four minutes. She blew six minutes out the window sat down and there you have it. But I think I actually spoke for the whole 10 minutes in supporting Mr Scott and saying on behalf of New Zealand that I know that he spent many hours lying awake considering that act of terrorism that resulted in Ernie Abbott being killed at the Trades Hall.I know Mr Scott is deeply concerned about the rights and the liberties of trade unionists and it concerned him that Ernie Abbott was killed and his dog was seriously injured. I know in the background that must have been one of the things weighing heavily on his mind. I know that in the back of his mind he must have been seriously considering the Rainbow Warrior and the act of terrorism that was afflicted upon this nation. But I would've thought that he would've done a little bit more study and realised that the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior was treated as an act of terrorism and so too was the bombing of the Trades Hall that unfortunately saw Mr Abbott killed. And I would've thought that he would've known from there that the laws as they currently exist were perfectly suited to hand out a life sentence to those people.But all of that being as it may we supported his bill. We supported it but we did flag some reservations like why only five years? And I actually said—Alastair Scott: Can't even be bothered getting in a car—has to fly himself around.Hon RON MARK: Oh Mr Scott wants to interject over NH90s. And we all know that it was a member of his committee who was flying into Masterton at the time and made a comment on the radio—Alastair Scott: Can't even mention 272. Do you know what Act you're talking about? You don't even know the Act.Hon RON MARK: —and fed Mr Scott who couldn't do it himself so he fed it to Mr Mitchell. And Mr Mitchell—oh Mr Scott's still going. He's really concerned about NH90s!But we know that Mr Scott unfortunately put Mr Mitchell in the gun sights because now everybody knows that Mr Mitchell flew to a dinner party in Papakura from Whenuapai in a Seasprite.Alastair Scott: Which section are you talking about? What bill are you talking about?Hon RON MARK: Oh now he wants to get back to the bill.Chris Bishop: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member knows this is well outside the scope of the bill which is to do with the Crimes (Increased Penalty for Providing Explosive to Commit Crime) Amendment Bill. I ask the member to come back to the point.Hon RON MARK: Speaking to the point of order—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): No I don't need any help on this thank you. The member is actually correct and this debate has been following that pattern for a while and we'll come back to the bill.Hon RON MARK: Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I would simply—as Mr Scott now wants to come back to the bill I will definitely do so. I recall in the debate Mr Scott suggesting was five years enough? I recall asking why a minimum sentence of five years? I've seen nothing in the way of a Supplementary Order Paper (SOP). I see nothing in the National Party's comments in the Justice Committee. I've got the select committee report here. It's pretty thin. It's really really thin and I see nothing in here from the National Party members saying Let's make it life. Let's make it life without parole."Alastair Scott: Where's your SOP?Hon RON MARK: No—Mr Scott is chipping away so we go now. If the member was deathly serious about this issue why did the member not bring it back to the Table with an amendment saying "Let's make it life." or "Let's make it a minimum of 10 years."? Let's make it a minimum—not five years; a mandatory 10 years or a mandatory five years.You see this is a joke Mr Scott and it's been treated as a joke because it is a joke. The fact that his own members can't stand up and speak for more than five minutes in support of him on this bill says it all—says it all. For the record there is no one in Masterton Dannevirke Pahīatua Woodville or Eketāhuna screaming out for this piece of legislation to be passed in valuable Government time. Mr Scott was a member of the Government with direct access to the executive—direct access where he could have gone and said "We've got housing problems in the Wairarapa." Remember you turkeys sold off 541 houses—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Order! I am not a turkey.Hon RON MARK: No. Mr Scott could have referred to his own Cabinet Ministers and been very forceful and very strong in his representation of the homeless in Masterton but no we have this bill.So forgive me Mr Scott if New Zealand First has a little bit of a chuckle or is somewhat derisive of the legislation because it is not what's beating at the hearts pressing the minds of the Wairarapa people. I acknowledge that 13000 of them voted for the member to come to this House and make a difference.This piece of legislation—if we are to look at the seriousness of the issue that Mr Scott raises it's dealt with in the Crimes Act it's dealt with in the Terrorism Suppression Act and it's dealt with—Alastair Scott: The Law Commission.Hon RON MARK: Well the Law Commission's not the only person who had an opinion Mr Scott. He chips in again. I love it when they keep coming back for more you know? The Ministry of Justice says it's not required. So we have the Ministry of Justice versus the Law Commission and I do recall Mr Scott himself on occasion being quite critical of the Law Commission and some of the advice that it gave where the Opposition was happy with that advice. So he can't have ducks and drakes—I like the Law Commission today I didn't like them yesterday I'll like them tomorrow if they agree with me.Mr Scott if one is really serious about this issue come back again like I did with the suppression of gangs bill. Come back again and again—that bill that the member's party voted against. Lowering the age of criminal responsibility—remember the bill that his party voted against? Don't preach at New Zealand First about being tough on law and order in a sort of whimsical attempt to try and get this piece of rubbish across the table. We deserve something more substantive Mr Scott and so too by the way do the people of the Wairarapa. They deserve more substantive representation than this. They deserve someone to take the matter seriously. They deserve to know that when they come to the House with their issues it will override pieces of legislation like this.Mr Scott we know that the Crimes Act that the Terrorism Suppression Act the legislation that New Zealand First supported—in actual fact I think the Rt Hon Winston Peters brought that legislation to the House when we were in coalition with Labour the last time. We have tried desperately to get some heavier penalties brought in to deal with crime to try to get gangs outlawed—Chris Bishop: Well you're in Government now.Hon RON MARK: —only to be thwarted by the National Party Mr Bishop—only to be thwarted by the National Party Mr Bishop. Time and time again Mr Bishop. So don't come in here all pious Mr Bishop. He's chipping in again; he loves it. Mr Bishop stand firm on this bill and support your colleague. We respect and admire that. But Mr Bishop you know in your heart that this is a load of rubbish and it's going to be treated accordingly. Thank you."