Lees-Galloway Iain: Immigration Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLees-Galloway Iain: Immigration Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 11 June 2013. Volume:691;Page:10948. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour—Palmerston North):Sometimes it is an interjection during the debate that can be most instructive about exactly what a party’smotivation is for a particular piece of legislation. While the Green Party member Jan Logie was speaking the member for Wairarapa John Hayes made the comment: “They’re not refugees; they’re economic”—what was the word—“opportunists.” He said: “They’re not refugees; they’re economic opportunists.” In that one line John Hayes has dismantled all the arguments that the National Party members are making in favour of the Immigration Amendment Bill. They are trying to make out as though they are interested in the pastoral care of asylum seekers and want to set up a framework that is so Draconian that it will deter people from embarking upon the dangerous journey not only from Asia down to Australia but then the particularly dangerous part from Australia across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand—the part that of course is so dangerous that nobody has actually done it. Nobody has actually done that. In fact the Tasman Sea will provide more of a barrier to people wanting to try to come to New Zealand by boat than any piece of legislation ever will.But I want New Zealanders to reflect on what John Hayes said. The National Party views people who are seeking asylum not as people who are escaping dangerous situations not as people who would put themselves and their families at risk in order to escape a life that is such a nightmare that is so dangerous and that is so life threatening that they are prepared to put themselves at the mercy of those scurrilous people-smugglers to set themselves to sea in vessels that are utterly unseaworthy and to put themselves at the mercy of the Australian authorities—or maybe even the New Zealand authorities—but as people who would go through that because they are simply trying to jump the queue or they are simply trying to advantage themselves economically. That is the most outrageous aspect of this—that the National Party is trying to dress up this legislation as somehow being interested in the welfare and well-being of those asylum seekers. John Hayes revealed tonight that that is a lie that that is an absolute lie. I think it is important that we understand what we are debating and we understand the motivation behind what we are debating and I thank John Hayes the member of Parliament for Wairarapa for telling the truth. It is an unusual characteristic in the National caucus but I am very very pleased that John Hayes was prepared to tell the truth.I would like to address the amendments in the name of Darien Fenton. Supplementary Order Paper 244 actually sets in law what the Minister of Immigration said he expected to be the situation. So why not lay it out in law—that is that asylum seekers who arrive in New Zealand would in the first instance be sent to the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre which is actually set up to deal with refugees and asylum seekers and their specific needs. Sending them to a police cell or a prison or some other detention centre built possibly by Serco I do not know is not the appropriate—Simon O’Connor: They’re performing very well.IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Well it might be performing very well in that member’s estimation but that member might want to consider why the New Zealand Superannuation Fund has just excluded Serco because of its policy regarding ethical investment. I want that member to go away and have a read about why Serco has been excluded because of its unethical behaviour—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Order!IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: I agree we should be talking about the bill but that member over there brought up the subject. I believe we should have it placed in legislation that in the first instance asylum seekers should go to Māngere because that is where they will be best looked after and that is the facility that is best placed to take care of those asylum seekers. The Minister himself said that that is what he expects to happen so let us codify it in law. Let us just codify that in law so that it is unambiguousand the authorities understand exactly what the Government expects. I support Darien Fenton’s amendment.