Sio Hon Aupito WilliamREFERENDUMS FRAMEWORK BILLFirst ReadingHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Associate Minister of Justice) on behalf of the Minister of Justice: I move That the Referendums Framework Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Justice Committee to consider the bill. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 11 November 2019 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time except during oral questions while the House is sitting during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House and on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House and outside the Wellington area despite Standing Orders 191 193 and 194(1)(b) and (c).As the House is aware the Government has committed to holding a referendum on legalising the personal use of recreational cannabis at the next general election. This bill provides the necessary legislative framework to govern the conduct of this referendum. There's also been discussion of the possibility of another referendum being held on the End of Life Choice Bill which is currently being considered by the committee of the whole House. With a greater likelihood of a second referendum it is all the more prudent that this Referendums Framework Bill be introduced as it will also facilitate if necessary the holding of a referendum on the End of Life Choice Bill at the next general election. Ensuring the smooth and efficient conduct of the general election and any referendums held at that time is important. The Electoral Commission needs to be able to plan appropriately and so this Referendums Framework Bill provides a single set of rules that govern the conduct of any referendums held alongside the general election and ensures the same rules apply to both the general election and the referendums as far as is practical.The bill focuses on the mechanical aspects of the conduct of any referendum held with the next election. For example it enables the Electoral Commission to conduct the referendums using the same voting places and electoral staff as for the election. It provides for the counting of the referendum votes and the release of the results either with or following the release of the general election results and it provides that the offence and penalty provisions in the Electoral Act apply to similar offences committed in relation to referendums. As this is a generic bill it does not include specific referendum-related material and I say that for my colleague across the floor. Instead it includes two mechanisms to link to other legislation or regulations which will be the trigger for the bill to be used for a particular referendum.Advertising is likely to be a key influencer in the public debate informing voters and encouraging voter turnout for the referendums. To achieve the appropriate balance between freedom of expression and transparency the bill regulates referendum advertising in much the same way as the Electoral Act regulates election advertising. These rules will require promoters of referendum advertisements to place a promoter statement on any advertisement and to register if they intend to spend over $13200 on referendum advertising during the three-month period immediately prior to the referendums. In addition registered promoters will also be required to submit a return on their expenses to the Electoral Commission if they spend over $100000 and there will be an overall limit on the amount that can be spent on referendum advertising of approximately $330000. The bill also provides that expenditure on dual advertisements covering the election and referendums will count towards both the election and referendum advertising thresholds or limits. The bill also addresses some minor areas of difference from some rules applying to the election which reflect the nature of referendums. For example there will be no preliminary count of any referendum votes on election day to avoid delays to the preliminary count of the general election. Referendum results will be released with or following the official results of the general election. The select committee process is very important and I encourage all members of the public to have their say on the bill when the committee calls for submissions. With that I commend this bill to the House.