SpeechDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei): After that uncharacteristically short and taut and to-the-point contribution from my friend Mr O'Connor it is a pleasure to rise and discuss this very interesting bill which I regret that we cannot support simply because we're doing it already. Ms Ghahraman called it disparate. My colleague Ms Andersen called it ambitious. Mr Strange got homespun and referred to it as having eyes bigger than its stomach. All of those descriptions are somewhat true: it is something of an omnibus. I think I will personally stick with more homespun and go with: this is a member's bill that has possibly bitten off more than a member's bill should.But let's talk about what is in this bill because these are all important ideas that do deserve respect. The first is enabling voters of Māori descent to change roll at any time. The second provision is to remove the requirement for New Zealand citizens who have been living overseas to have visited New Zealand in the last three years to maintain their voting rights which of course is a very pertinent issue at the moment following on from COVID. The third point made in the bill is that it would just strengthen transparency in safeguarding rules around donations to parties another important issue. The fourth idea is giving all people in prisons the right to vote. Fifth we come to extending the voting age to 16. The ambition is fairly staggering. Then sixth we go to extending the reserve provisions to include all provisions reducing eligibility to register as an elector or vote in an election. And then finally implementing all of the Electoral Commission's 2012 MMP review recommendations.These are all worthwhile important ideas to canvass. So worthwhile in fact that we are already doing them. Ms. Golriz with commendable confidence referred to the Government as having picked up her ideas. There is a difference between correlation of course and causation and I believe that most of these important points predate the terms of most of those of us speaking in the House today.So let's go through exactly what is being done here. First off taking point one the ability of Māori voters to change roll type at any time. Now we announced on 9 June we'd be progressing this through and so we are doing. On 21 June this year the Electoral (Māori Electoral Option) Legislation Bill—my goodness we give these things snappy titles—Simeon Brown: Where's the plain language?Dr EMILY HENDERSON: —was introduced to the House. We are working on it as we speak. It is before—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Brown you will not come and yell something when you come into this Chamber. You will stand withdraw and apologise.Simeon Brown: I stand withdraw and I apologise.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Feel free to join and debate but make sure you're sitting down when you do it.Dr EMILY HENDERSON: So point one we've already got covered. Then we come to point two which is the overseas voters point the one made so pertinent by COVID and the lockdown restrictions. We are also progressing law changes to this one that will include a temporary amendment to enable New Zealand citizens who have not been in New Zealand for the last few years to bypass the normal requirements for the next election. And again we have this bill in and we will be progressing it in time for the next election.Then we have the donations point and again the same Electoral Amendment Bill which is going to deal with COVID restrictions—and I think it is appropriate that those be dealt with on a temporary basis—they will also be dealt with in that same amendment bill.Giving prisoners the right to vote giving all prisoners the right to vote—this is something that was canvassed as recently as three years ago when we allowed all people in prison for three years or less to have the right to vote. It seems somewhat premature to start again and revisit it.And finally as my colleague Ms Walters so eloquently pointed out some of the other provisions which would look to change the points which require a referendum—these are constitutional law points they shouldn't be part of a member's bill.We are however undertaking a wide-ranging and independent review of the remaining points. I'm not unsympathetic to many of them including the ability of 16-year-olds to vote but that's for another day. I cannot commend this to the House.