Graham Kennedy: Habeas Corpus Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Graham Kennedy: Habeas Corpus Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 15 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4444. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green) 
: 
 I do not wish to take up very much time of the House primarily because I tend to agree with the points that have been made earlier about the undesirability of producing these kinds of bills as members’ bills. There is no point in rehearsing the history of habeas corpus which we have been treated to a few times already; I think we are all pretty much boned up on the Latin and the history. But suffice to say as my colleague Dave Clendon did earlier that the Green Party will support the Habeas Corpus Amendment Bill because the bill is inherently a valid one and should be passed through. 
But let us pass it through as fast as we can so that we do not unduly waste the time on members’ day. After all “fides servandaest”—faith must be kept. And faith must be kept with the principle of the original purpose of members’ bills which is that they offer members of Parliament on all sides of the House the opportunity to develop and advance in legislative form their personal vision of what needs to be written into the New Zealand legislation—personal vision. I just cannot thank Chris Auchinvole enough for the blood sweat and tears that he must have shed long into the night burning the midnight oil drafting this bill in the pristine way! I mean here is the bill. Here is the bill. I read through this bill word— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Read it. Read this bill. 
Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM 
: Well I am tempted to because I think it is the height of legislative artistry and we have it here. Then I looked and I chanced across a document here. I open it up. Lo there is telepathy going on here because here is a bill and I can tell you now—and I do not know whether this comes as a surprise to our colleague—it is word for word. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: So which one should we be voting for? 
Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM 
: Well we could substitute it and call it the “Geoff Palmer Bill”. But I think in deference to the effort and the initiative—I think it was Tim Macindoe who commended Mr Auchinvole for his initiative and I think it was Mr Bridges who commended him for his exceptionally passionate approach to this bill—we should all pay a tribute to our colleague here for the sacrifice he has made in bringing this bill through on members’ day. I commend you to the House. 
Could I ask Mr Auchinvole whether there is going to be any word that he might conceivably alter in this bill as it wends its tortuous passage through the committee— 
Hon Simon Bridges 
: No. He chose each one carefully. 
Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM 
: Indeed I think that is quite quite clear. For example let me make a suggestion. Just for the sake of generating some enthusiasm for this bill as it goes through the committee clause 5 “Section 9 amended (Urgency)” inserts a new subclause (4): “A Judge may not make any order under subsection (3) without giving the parties to the proceeding an opportunity to be heard …”. Can I suggest that in deference to what we heard from Mr Andrew Little our colleague we could say “without giving the parties human or bovine to the proceeding the opportunity to be heard”. Is there going to be any word that will be changed in this respect? Ecce homo ecce bovum. I leave it to Mr Auchinvole to give it thought with his colleagues the learned gentlemen there Mr Macindoe and Mr Williamson. He can discuss it and decide whether there is any change at all and he will no doubt have the support of this House whether it is cows— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: That can’t be the only section you have a problem with. 
Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM 
: No I know that with the experience that Mr Williamson has had in his longevity in this House he will be able to advise Mr Auchinvole whether there is any scope for improving this bill whatsoever because I have to tell you in full admiration that I cannot find it.