Stewart Barbara: Crimes (Drug Rape) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Stewart Barbara: Crimes (Drug Rape) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
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BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
: 
 On behalf of New Zealand First I rise to support the request of the member Dianne Yates that we vote down the Crimes (Drug Rape) Amendment Bill. New Zealand First congratulates Dianne Yates on putting this bill forward and on ensuring that there will be action taken in this area. She has done an incredible amount of work and research in the area of drug rape and this must be acknowledged. This is one issue that could have easily been put into the too-hard basket and forgotten about and fortunately it was not. 
Drug rape is a despicable crime that is happening right throughout New Zealand in many different environments. It is despicable because the victims cannot physically resist or consent in any way as they are already immobilised and silenced. The perpetrator of this type of crime needs to be dealt with in the most severe way possible. It is a totally premeditated crime and the criminals have to very carefully plan their moves. It is no less criminal— 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I am sorry to interrupt. If members are going to talk will they please do it quietly. 
BARBARA STEWART 
: The criminals have to very carefully plan their moves in this type of crime. It is no less criminal than any other type of crime and it is far worse than many. 
It is disappointing I must say that the Crimes (Drug Rape) Amendment Bill did not have any opportunity to become law earlier as we all recognise that drug rape is a modern crime and of course it affects both men and women in many different environments—not just in bars. We recognise that this legislation has been overtaken by the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2) which we hope will have its second reading in this House very promptly. That is one bill we cannot afford to let languish on the Order Paper for a very very long time like some bills do. That bill needs to become law sooner rather than later. Drug rape is a crime for which the offenders deserve to have the full force of the law thrown at them. They need to be prosecuted by the justice system so we need legislation that will enable prosecutors to perform their jobs to the best of their ability and to work against the crime of drug rape. We will be looking for progress on the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2). It is time that we were very proactive about this type of legislation. 
To date I must say the police have done a very good job on the drug rape issue. This is a crime that really needs some prompt action if there is to be any successful prosecution. It is a very unfortunate fact that many of these cases go unreported because the victim does not seek help or even report the incident. So really we can say that nobody knows just how common drug-facilitated rape is because there is no way of measuring the incidents that occur. This is a difficult crime that desperately needs the type of legislation that this bill outlines and that has been included in the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2). It is to be hoped that that bill addresses the concerns that Dianne Yates has raised. She is nodding to say that it does. 
Dianne Yates 
: It’s actually better. 
BARBARA STEWART 
: She says it is better. It has been really pleasing too to see that awareness of this issue has been considerably raised. The recent publicity campaign raised awareness of the necessity for people to keep an eye on their drinks in all situations when they are out and about. It was great to see that advertising on the TV channels that young people usually watch. Hopefully it has saved some young people from being the victims of this particular crime. 
I was pleased to read recently too that a small kit to test drinks for date-rape drugs is to be sold in New Zealand very soon. It tests for the three most commonly used drugs and will be useful when one is out and about—both men and women. It is really a sad fact of life that such a test kit is needed but it definitely is. 
So New Zealand First would like to indicate to the House that we support Dianne Yates and her request that we vote against her very good member’s bill.