Hutchison Paul: Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill — Procedure Referral to Health Committee Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Hutchison Paul: Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill — Procedure Referral to Health Committee Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:610;Page:7971] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (NZ National—Port Waikato) 
: 
 Firstly I say to Mr Dail Jones that sometimes a cigar always is a cigar. 
Speaking strictly to clause 1A “Commencement” I note the buried dates ranging from section 6 coming into force on 1 January 2004 to various other sections that come into force at other dates. I understand that that is to accommodate the commercial arrangements of the marketers. One of the things about that is indeed the commercial arrangements. In my speech on the second reading I mentioned that the Gresham Hotel in Dunedin which has gone smoke-free was absolutely incredulous at the remarkable response it had to that with a clientele going from about 600 per week initially to 2000 per week. The bands in the area love going there because they can play in a smoke-free environment. 
I was most interested in some of the remarks from the Minister of Health because when she first came in she had a letter from the ministry that stated that the greatest gains in health would come from health promotion disease prevention and the integration of primary and secondary health. The Minister has made a remarkable balls-up of most of that but it is good to see her supporting the Tuku Morgan amendment here which focuses absolutely on health promotion and disease prevention. 
I have heard several members speak about Dr Murray Laugeson. I would like to pay tribute to his work because for many years with great commitment and great passion he has worked extremely hard to ensure that the information we have in New Zealand is of an absolutely best-practice world-class quality has been published in international peer-review papers and has data that is very solid indeed. 
As well Professor Rodney Jackson from Auckland University has made the point time and time again that the greatest gains in health will come from the simple things—right diet exercise and quitting smoking. That is what this bill is all about; there is no question about that. But I get a little cynical when I hear Heather Roy talking about the money being spent. On this occasion it is cynicism about the Labour Government—the tax-rapacious Labour Government—that actually gets over $800 million a year from the tobacco tax and spends a miserly $37 million or so— 
Hon David Carter 
: $13.7 million. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: Is that all it is? Well that is even worse than I thought. 
Hon David Carter 
: It’s the quality of expenditure that you worry about. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: Both quality and quantity are absolutely important here but I am very concerned that so little is spent in this area when health promotion and disease prevention have been identified as the areas where the greatest gains would come from. 
I noted Marc Alexander when he spoke earlier on occupational safety and health laws in New Zealand because there is no doubt that those laws have not been enforced. In 2001 the Occupational Safety and Health Service handbook defined second-hand smokers as a significant hazard capable of causing serious harm and damage. Theoretically employers around the country are required to identify and control hazards but that enforcement has just not occurred. It is quite right to say that if that provision were being enforced appropriately there might be no need for this special legislation. It is one of the areas that make me uncomfortable. 
The other area is the question of smoking in private clubs venues Returned Services Associations or other organisations. I give notice that I have put forward an amendment that would cover smoking in private facilities.