Simpson Scott: Electoral Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSimpson Scott: Electoral Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 18 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16736. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel):It is a great pleasure to stand in the third reading debate of the Electoral Amendment Bill which is in the name of the very good and capable Minister of Justice the Hon Judith Collins. What a fine Minister she is to bring this piece of legislation to the House following the good hard long and deliberative work of the Justice and Electoral Committee. The select committee worked long and hard on this bill. We heard lots of submissions and representations from members of the public and interest groups. But listening to members of the Opposition one could easily be drawn to the conclusion that some huge awful attack on the basis of our democracy is being perpetrated here when nothing could be further from the truth.The Justice and Electoral Committee reported back unanimously on this bill without dissension and without a minority report. Something has happened in the time between reporting back and now when the Labour Party members have decided to change their minds. I wonder what could have caused a change of mind such that the Hon Maryan Street who was supportive and agreeable in the select committee could now be so vehement in her opposition to what is a very simple proposition put forward by the select committee. Really the only thing that one can draw from that change of heart is that there has been a change in management within the chief of staff’s office within the Labour Party. It is a hard move to the left and it is a move that is not doing the Opposition any good at all.So what does the Electoral Amendment Bill do? Well it does not extend the use of EasyVote cards. Listening to members of the Opposition one could be forgiven for thinking that EasyVote cards were somehow going to be removed or cease to be operative at all when in fact the situation will be simply this—the status quo for EasyVote cards will continue and will be maintained. What this legislation does not do is extend the role and use of EasyVote cards. The select committee came to a very good view—a consensus view a unanimous view—that to extend the use of EasyVote cards would have lowered the threshold for potential fraud. That is something that is very important because ours is a unique wonderful and precious little democracy and I for one think that we should be doing everything that we can to maintain and enhance the preciousness of our democracy.One does not have to look very far before we can find situations where there has been electoral fraud in our democracy and one Daljit Singh springs to mind. Daljit Singh was a Labour Party candidate in a local body election recently convicted of electoral fraud. What did he do? He enrolled 70 people at his one address—70 people.Louise Upston: Seventy.SCOTT SIMPSON: Seventy—that is right. The senior whip is telling me it is 70. It is absolutely right; 70 is the number. Seventy people were enrolled at that house. So you can imagine what might have happened—70 EasyVote cards could have arrived at that house. No one in their right mind would think that that is anything other than a lowering of the potential for fraud. This bill is a good one.Another point that is worth making is that verbal identification will be required. It came as a complete surprise to the select committee that verbal identification was not already required. The vast majority of voters actually do state their name when they go up to the deputy returning officer to get their voting papers in preparation to cast their vote. There has been an argument that somehow this puts people for whom English is a second language or who are disabled in some way at a disadvantage. There is already very comprehensive and existing legislation that protects them and ensures that adequate steps can be taken for people in that situation. So this comes as nothing of a surprise—other than that it was not there already.This bill is a very good bill. It is a well-considered bill. If we pass it today we will be ready for the election on 20 September. On this side of the House we are ready for that election. We are ready we are looking forward to it we have a range of policies that will be fit to take to the country in a very positive and good way and we have an excellent story to take to the nation. I commend this bill to the House I commend the Minister for bringing it to the House and I urge all members to support it.