Calder Cam: Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCalder Cam: Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 23 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19429. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr CAM CALDER (National):I move That the Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. It is a huge pleasure to be speaking in the House a mere 1 hour and 50 minutes after my valedictory speech. It was something I did not expect I could do and—Denis O’Rourke: Coming back.Dr CAM CALDER: It does not betoken a comeback. No no it does not betoken a comeback. It merely betokens my delight and appreciation at being able to introduce for its third reading a bill that has been a long time in gestation. I have to acknowledge at this stage the support this bill has received across the House. It has been unanimously supported—Phil Twyford: It was a good dinner break Cam was it?Dr CAM CALDER: —by my colleagues across the House. Mr Twyford was one of those to support it. I did not see him at the post-gathering celebrations but he would have been welcome had he not been so busy as would my colleague here from New Zealand First who is sitting in his leader’s position at the moment.It is a pleasure to be at this stage the third reading of the Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill. Those who watch Parliament TV will have been aware that there was a lot of debate about this bill at the Committee stage. I believe Mr O’Rourke was part of that debate. Mr Prosser certainly was part of that debate and spoke fulsomely in favour of said bill. He is only human. It was the right thing to do because this bill is small and perfectly formed and it will actually significantly increase the safety of all of us who travel by air in New Zealand. We have got an excellent airline Air New Zealand. I was privileged to go along to its annual parliamentary gathering last night. Once again it surpassed itself in the excellence of its presentation and in fact it is doing very well on the world stage.Something like this in New Zealand will improve safety. Legislation does not stop idiots behaving idiotically. We know that. However the fact that somebody will not be able to go out and stuff a high-power laser pointer which many speakers in previous speeches in the House did point out are actually weapons in their pocket and expect to get away with it will mean it will have a preventative aspect.I first became aware of the dangers of laser pointers in a sporting occasion strange as though it may be to report in 1997 in Montpellier. What was the occasion I hear you ask? It was the world pétanque championships. What was happening? Some recidivists in the audience were trying to put off some of the favoured players by shining laser pointers in their eyes. Even those of us who are not partial to the beautiful game normally—there are not many people in New Zealand who are totally immune to the delights of football. But many of us were watching the World Cup and we saw the Russian goalie—it was shown all round the world—who was attempting to be in full modus operandi for deflecting a corner kick. He was in fact struck in the face in his eyes by a laser pointer. Shortly after there was another attempt on the goal and he failed to repel that.That is just a sporting occasion—but of course it is never just a sporting occasion. But it is not talking about the loss of life. More important is the potential loss of life that could come from laser pointers being used against the pilots of aircraft. Many people in the House many colleagues across the House have pointed out the dangers of this. I believe that this bill will have a preventative effect and reduce the chances of this happening.Last year there were 119 reported laser attacks on aircraft and helicopters. The point was made by the New Zealand Airline Pilots’ Association that those are just the ones that were reported in New Zealand because foreign aircraft would report their strikes to their authorities back home. So this bill is timely. This bill is necessary. It will be a valued legislative tool to improve public safety in our country. I appreciate the widespread support it has received to date in the House and I commend this bill to the House.