McKee NicoleNICOLE McKEE (ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. I stand on behalf of the ACT Party to speak to firearms prohibition orders and I just would like to start off by acknowledging the Green member Teanau Tuiono's contribution and his statement that if it's good enough for rural women it's good enough for the Greens. May I just say rural women you need to start talking to Parliament about the emissions trading scheme (ETS) zero carbon and some other things as well. The Greens will listen.But in relation to firearms prohibition orders (FPOs) I'm glad to see a Government that's finally responding to the increase in gun crime that we are experiencing across our country—47 percent increase since 2018. These firearm prohibition orders are needed. But one thing that I do think is important to remind everybody of is that while the member across the way Ginny Andersen has spoken about how long we've been going through a process of trying to get FPOs in place it's a good reminder that National brought a bill to the House last year and the Labour Party voted it down. There was an opportunity to get in place safer laws for our communities but at the expense of doing it through another party—an Opposition party—rather than doing it through the Government. I think we've wasted a fair bit of time there and that did not need to happen. I'm disappointed that politics played a part in the delays for getting FPOs through instead of acquiring safer communities together.I'd like to spend this time reiterating the concerns that I've held in this legislation regarding courts being directed to order the forfeiture of firearms to the Crown. It was mentioned by me in my second reading speech and brought up again at the committee of the whole House. I'd just like to reiterate the Minister's discussion after speaking with his officials that in fact all endeavours will be made to return firearms to their legal owners should that be possible as opposed to the forfeiture and confiscation of privately owned property.Our next step is to address the illegal importation of firearms that come into the country—2 to 5 percent of containers have been stopped at our borders and in that 2 to 5 percent 5887 illegally imported firearms have been found at our border and that's between the years of 2014 and 2020. It's important I believe that the likes of Gun Control NZ and the Police Association start attributing accurately where the firearms are actually coming from and stop solely blaming the licensed firearms community. If you want to see real change start treating the community as humans and with respect. After all they have been run through the mill to be deemed fit and proper people—more so than your average kindergarten teacher being left alone with the toddlers. We need to get the narrative right and the courts also need to get the sentences right and the application of FPOs on to the right people.This bill is also moving a clause which absolves the Crown from paying compensation for items devalued by way of markings. I'd just like to say to the firearms community: I did try with a Supplementary Order Paper to remove the clause that absolves the Crown from having to pay compensation for the devaluing of the marking on firearms that has been directed by this Parliament. Unfortunately it was ruled out of order but I did give it a go and I think that's important to note that we are still trying over here at the ACT Party to make sure that we have good laws for firearms going forward.The reality is though that society is giving us all a warning. They don't like the soft on crime approach. They don't like the gangs taking their money. They want consequences for the losses they are experiencing not only in their businesses but also in their homes. But they don't want to see dad locked up for a minor offence either. Some of the qualifying offences within this bill include some where a firearms prohibition order would be absolutely warranted—for example section 16(4) of the Arms Act is where the illegal importation of firearms is included and it's often seen alongside the drug shipments that come in. It is section 16(4) of the Arms Act where it could mean that someone that imports a firearm not realising that it now needs an import permit—because that changed in the legislation as well and it never used to have to require an import permit—could get inadvertently caught up in an FPO application by the police to the courts.In these situations the courts should go back to the intent of this bill: what is it that the implementation of this bill is trying to achieve? Well quite simply it is to prevent people whose behaviour and actions represent a high risk of violence or reflect an underlying risk of violence from accessing firearms or restricted weapons. Police should know the difference between the two types of people and strive to rebuild the trust and confidence between themselves and the firearms community again before bringing charges that do not meet the intent of the bill. This law should not be used to punish those with no ill intent but we should all be mindful of the unintended ignorance of the extent of arms law changes. Really innocent licensed firearm owners should not get caught up in this regime. But as we know the police gave gangs licences in their dozens so many legitimate licensed firearm owners are already feeling the pain of that agency's incompetence.So in my final words there is more to be done. There's a lot more to be done and ACT have sitting in the ballot box lottery their gang control orders bill. I think that this will go as a great supplement to the firearms prohibition orders because it will specifically target the gangs whereas this firearms prohibition order targets anyone that's at risk. We want to target the bullying of the gangs specifically. There's not one solution we agree but by introducing ACT's gang control orders it will really hit them where it hurts—in their pockets. But we have more than that; we also have a rehabilitation policy. We want to bring back charter schools and introduce a welfare policy while we're at it. This is all part and parcel of having good crime intents with firearm prohibition orders because we all know that this one response won't make a significant difference without others and if we address the other social issues facing our community right now we could perhaps make a difference together. ACT has the solutions already sitting in the ballot box for you Labour. All you have to do is pull them out and run with them. We support this bill Mr Speaker.