Goodhew Jo: Local Government Law Reform Bill — In Committee 
Goodhew Jo: Local Government Law Reform Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:632;Page:3752] 
JO GOODHEW (National—Aoraki) 
: 
 It gives me great pleasure to rise and add to the National Party’s voice. Why is it that we are all here en masse debating the Local Government Law Reform Bill? It is because we feel very very strongly about it. The point of this bill that we feel most strongly about is the microchipping issue. Why are we focusing on that? It is quite simple really; we have had at least 10000 people sign petitions. National has been sent a really strong message which is for us to get into Parliament and make sure this measure does not happen. We have worked very very hard on it. We are very disappointed in some of the smaller parties that cannot see sense on this one. 
I have a press release from Nanaia Mahuta and I was perplexed when I read the heading: “Govt working with councils on dog control measures.” Well I say we should ask the councils about that. They would say the Government is working against them. They would say it is an imposition of costs. The press release I mentioned states: “The government is committed to working with all local authorities to ensure that new dog control laws are phased in as smoothly as possible.” Hang on a minute! What about all the ruts they had in the road? What about all the speed humps? I can tell members that the four local authorities the local councils in my electorate would tell a different story. Those councils of Timaru Waimate Waitaki and Mackenzie will say this is just an imposition of more cost on them and more cost therefore on their ratepayers. 
The one law for all dogs is a law that they have microchips. It is not a law that states that they will not bite little girls and boys. Members should make no mistake about that. That is not what the law states; it states that dogs will have microchips. It will not stop them biting little boys and girls because as other speakers have already said dangerous dogs will not be registered or microchipped. 
I just want to cover a few points made by some of the members on the Government side of the House. Jim Anderton has in the past asked what we do not understand about No 3. Well No 3 it would seem would be quite a powerful position to be in on the front bench over there. Jim Anderton asked what we did not understand about the fact that he was going to take his appeal to Cabinet that there be reconsideration of the microchipping of farm dogs. But then what happened was that Labour fed him some Tux dog biscuits which are the same dog biscuits that they keep a really good bag of for Winston Peters over on the Government side of the House. Winston jumps up on to his feet and responds to the Tux dog biscuits. We have seen that every day in the House when the poodle extraordinaire gets up there and responds to the dog biscuits on offer. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: Have you got a dog called Winston as well? 
Jo Goodhew 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Jim Sutton took a call tonight as well. He was wrong on a number of counts. He said that farm dogs were part of the problem. Members should ask the Accident Compensation Corporation how many farm dogs have caused bites and they would then know that farm dogs are not the problem that needs to be fixed. It is the unregistered and likely to be unchipped dogs that are most of the problem as my colleagues have said. Jim Sutton has given up on Federated Farmers; he certainly squashed their campaign flat tonight. Perhaps the Labour Government feels it does not need Federated Farmers or maybe it feels it has just lost them wholeheartedly. Labour has completely lost them—they have walked—and therefore it will not worry about them. 
Even Doug Woolerton had a go at Federated Farmers. I wonder whether he has realised what the number of people here who are prepared to have input into this debate really means. He suggested we thought it was a joke. I ask my colleagues whether it is a joke. 
Hon Members 
: No. 
JO GOODHEW 
: Of course it is not a joke; we would not all be wasting time on preparing to debate this bill if we thought it was a joke. 
Then we heard from Damien O’Connor who was deluding himself that this bill would prevent attacks on stock. Again I will say that microchipping is not a muzzle; it will not prevent any dog from attacking stock—nor from attacking children. He said a number of times that he felt sad and he called us Neanderthals. The Minister should be sad because he is barking mad if he thinks microchipping will actually solve the problem. 
I attended Mystery Creek last Thursday and there were two petitions there against this particular bill. There were queues for both of those petitions and people flocked to sign them. We wished we had more boards to put the petitions on because not everybody could wait long enough to sign the petitions. They were urban and rural people.