Andersen GinnyVIRGINIA ANDERSEN (Labour): What a lot of song and dance! I wouldn't be surprised if we heard that the apocalypse was coming and that a tsunami would ensue if this legislation passed. I wouldn't be surprised if the members opposite had been taking up some drama classes in their spare time with the amount of stupid accusations that this legislation will not be bringing.So let's get down to the facts. What does this bill actually do? What does it actually do? Well it protects the proportionality of Parliament so that voters when they vote get what they vote for. As a list MP—one that has already been called a puppet today—I was elected to this House on the basis that I stood on the Labour Party's shoulders—I stood upon the values that the Labour Party represents. [Interruption]ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Settle members—settle.VIRGINIA ANDERSEN: That's why I am here standing speaking in this House today. If I should depart from those values I should not deserve a seat in this House.So let's just say that on a Thursday night the Hon Dr Nick Smith the Hon Mark Mitchell and I have a few beers and we decide we'd like to start up a new party. A new party—just the three of us. We'd be called the Freedom of Speech Liberation Party" or maybe even "Feminists United"—you don't know. So if we start up a new party that's fine according to the National Party. All those people who voted for me to be here for the Labour Party would get me hanging out with the Hon Nick Smith and the Hon Mark Mitchell in a new party with a different name. Well I believe that that's not fair on democracy and the voters of New Zealand and for all the cries we've heard about democracy I believe that this bill furthers democracy because it ensures that the voters get what they voted for.The main criticism we've heard today from the National Party is that this bill is an affront to freedom of speech. Isn't that funny—freedom of speech. So when we had the opportunity in this House to vote on conscience for Green Party member Chlöe Swarbrick's bill which would have enabled people to grow cannabis for medicinal purposes I quite rightly remember a number of National Party members of Parliament who stood on the tiles in the morning and told me that they would be voting for that bill because that's what they believed in. But by the p.m. when the vote was taken they were voting against it because they'd been whipped into line by their leader to do the right thing by their party. So don't tell me that this bill is going to come along and infringe freedom of speech when we don't even have it in the first place.So what else are we going to say here? [Interruption]ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Settle down members.VIRGINIA ANDERSEN: What is the National Party actually worried about? What is the real thing that they are so angry about in this bill that makes them stand up and take their drama classes and cry "Tsunami!" at us today in the House? Are they genuinely concerned about freedom of speech? Are they really concerned about freedom of speech? When do we otherwise hear National Party members quoting former Green Party members in this House? Is that the real motivation under this line? I believe the real reason is that it forms part of the coalition agreement and that's what gets under their skin. It's a symbol of the fact that they are in Opposition and where they are a drifting bitter and fractionalised bunch that have grasped on to this bill in some lame sort of grief counselling for the fact of coping with being in Opposition. This is symbolic of the fact that they are in Opposition and that's the true reason why we're hearing this barrage today in the House.So I would like to say that we support this bill. We support this bill in the House today because it stands for parties being represented in the House in the way they should be and it stands for the fact that members can speak indeed whether they are list whether they are electorate or whatever they come from. If they come into this House on the back of their party they have an obligation to the voters of New Zealand to stand by that party and this bill delivers that result. Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. I commend this bill to the House."