Robertson GrantThird ReadingHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance) on behalf of the Minister of Justice: I present a legislative statement on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill.DEPUTY SPEAKER: That statement is on the parliamentary website—is available.Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I move That the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill be now read a third time.The alcohol licensing process is integral to alcohol regulation in New Zealand. It is the process that decides where and when alcohol is sold in our communities: in bottle stores supermarkets restaurants pubs at clubs and at large events. It is important that this licensing process works well.When the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act was created over 10 years ago the intention was for communities to be able to have their say on alcohol licensing in their areas. In a broad way it was intended that communities could help develop local alcohol policies that apply to all licence applications and on a case by case basis it was intended that communities could participate in individual licensing hearings.There are two important reasons for this. It's our communities who can best articulate the way that alcohol affects them and their families and whānau. Despite the intention since the Act came into force the evidence shows us that licensing decisions are not being made with community input as had been expected. In fact communities are having far less of a voice than intended. This is not for lack of interest. Individuals and groups are involved in the development of local alcohol policies through consultation only for those policies to be watered down or abandoned entirely because of appeals. Many individuals and groups seek to be involved in hearings on individual applications only to be told that they don't have sufficient interest in the application to object.During the select committee process for this bill it was clear that many individuals and groups consider that the way the Act is working at the moment means their voices are not being heard. Therefore I am pleased that this bill is a champion for community voice. The bill makes it easier for communities to have their say in three ways: easier to adopt and apply local alcohol policies or LAPs to licensing areas. It does this by removing appeals against LAPs and restoring district licensing committees' discretion to decline to renew licences if those licences would be inconsistent with the area's LAP. These changes reduce delays and costs that many territorial authorities have experienced in trying to adopt LAPs and means that LAPS can be taken into account in more licensing decisions.Secondly the bill broadens who can object to licensing applications. It does this by removing the test that people and groups must be able to meet to object to those applications but maintains narrow exceptions around trade to ensure licensing remains focused on harm reduction. This practically means no person or group will have to prove their interest in the application as they have to do at the moment which can be particularly excluding. District licensing committees will also have a greater range of information before them to make their decision.And thirdly the bill also makes licensing hearings more accessible and fairer for everyone taking part by changing the way that district licensing committees' hearings are run. It requires district licensing committees to ensure their hearings avoid unnecessary formality including by removing cross-examination and allowing for tikanga to be recognised. These changes will make hearings less intimidating and encourage more people to have a say about what happens in their community. By making these changes the bill recognises the importance of community input in alcohol licensing and that voices of the community are heard.I acknowledge that interests in alcohol licensing are varied. Our communities also include alcohol licence holders running local businesses and their voices are important in licensing too. The changes have been carefully considered with this in mind and this can be seen through the changes the bill makes. One example relates to the changes to local alcohol policies. As a result of the changes the status of the special consultative procedure is restored. The special consultant procedure is a process which must be used to create an LAP and it gives everyone an opportunity to say how they want the LAP for their area to look. Removing appeals against LAPs means that different voices all have the same opportunity to contribute in the context of consultation. Community contribution to the development of LAPs will no longer be drowned out by appeals which tend to be made by organisations representing a narrow set of interests.The bill's changes also respect the roles of the decision makers in the licensing system. By removing appeals the bill respects the role of locally elected representatives to design and adopt LAPs applying to their areas. The changes also respect the discretion of district licensing committees who make licensing decisions on behalf of their area. The community voice is one factor they take into account in their decision making. They also consider other information including from applicants and licensing inspectors. Like decision makers in other processes district licensing committees take all the information they have consider its relevance and weigh it to make their decisions. The bill respects their role in this process.As I touched on before the changes to licensing hearings apply to everybody. It's not just objectors that can find licensing hearings a stressful experience. We know that licensees can also find them intimidating. The changes this bill makes will benefit them and everyone who attends. All participants should feel comfortable and confident to share their views and not have to worry about getting tangled in knots through the process.I'm proud that this bill gives communities back their voice within the system strikes the balance between all interests involved and respects the role of decision makers in the process. I want to thank the Justice Committee for their work on the bill and all those who submitted and contributed to the process. The changes the committee made as a result of hearing from the submitters have enhanced the bill. I want to acknowledge the previous Minister of Justice for her work in introducing the bill and the current Minister of Justice for the work to complete this. I'm confident that by making these targeted changes to the licensing process this bill will make a big difference to those in our communities whose views have been excluded for too long. I commend the bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The question is that the motion be agreed to.