O'Connor Damien: New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In CommitteeText is subject to correctionO'Connor Damien: New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee[Sitting date: 06 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14467. Text is subject to correction.]Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Labour—West Coast - Tasman): Thank you very much Mr Chairman. I appreciate that and I thank you for the opportunity. It is 20 years ago today that I entered Parliament and I am privileged to be given the opportunity I guess to say a few words on the New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill. Can I say that I rise to speak against a couple of the amendments put up by the Green Party. I know that the amendments are well intentioned but I will explain why I do so.The first is that we are a party that has a conscience vote and I appreciate the opportunity given to each and every one of us by the leadership on this issue. I will choose to use that vote not to oppose Labour’s general position that it opposes this bill but it is to say that I do not believe that the passage of the Supplementary Order Paper 385 is the right thing to do. What it would do in bringing in harm minimisation measures is ease the conscience of those people in the National Government who think that they can pass this through and then feel a little bit more comfortable because thereare harm minimisation measures. Well no—each and every one of us is using our conscience to speak on this on the basis that we want the best outcome. There is an old saying you know “If you don’t use it you lose it.” Well that does apply to the National members because if you do not use your conscience you have probably already lost it. What Labour members say is that we will choose to use it for the right intentions in the ways that each and every one of us thinks are appropriate.The other Supplementary Order Paper that I will not support is Supplementary Order Paper 382. The idea that the Government can step in and dictate what sort of conventions can take place to me is going one step too far. If the convention centre is going to be built then all and sundry can come and use it. Once again it is no good feeling that we are a little bit more sacred or we have done less to harm the people of New Zealand by having a higher standard or a moral threshold for the kinds of conventions that can come in here. Let us face it: if this bill comes into being we may have conventions on anything from dentistry to armaments—who knows? Be that on the conscience of those people who have allowed this to occur.If I could go back to a speech made earlier in the Committee about the harm caused to individual New Zealanders by unemployment I accept that and I think that to be out of a job is a terrible terrible thing. It does affect the health of individuals. It does affect their outlook their positive attitude and it affects the well-being of their children but actually not as much as someone who is addicted to gambling. The National member Jonathan Young spoke of terrible things—about suicide about inferior health and about other things that are associated with unemployment. I accept that. I think Jonathan Young is absolutely right. But if you have a look at what happens to the 6500 children who will be affected by the additional gambling opportunities that this convention centre will offer—“offer” is the right word not force on people; we accept that. However addictive gambling is a disease. As a former Minister I had evidence brought before me time and time again that the addictive nature of pokie machines is far greater than that of racing because of the cycle time involved in the opportunities that people participate in. So let us not steer away from the reality of the harm that more pokie machines brought into Skycity will do to the people of Auckland.That is why coming back Mr Chairman—and I thank you once again for the opportunity—to the Supplementary Order Paper I do not think that I should ease my conscience by voting for a harm minimisation measure when in fact I believe we should not have the new opportunities for gambling in the first place. So the National members who might feel a little easier if this Supplementary Order Paper goes through should not be freed from their guilt should not be freed from the pangs of conscience—if they still have one—and should understand full well that if they vote for this harm will occur to people in Auckland to children in Auckland that need not occur. That is why—