Woolerton R Doug: Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Woolerton R Doug: Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:638;Page:8458] 
R DOUG WOOLERTON (NZ First) 
: 
 I am in support of this bill— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: See you later Dougie. 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: —yes it could be: “See you later.”; it could well be: “See you later.” I just want to explain how I came to my position on this bill because I did not support it in its first reading. Then I had a visit in my office from a lady called Maxine Hodgson whom many members will know from Parentline in Hamilton. Maxine Hodgson said to me that if I did one thing in my term in Parliament and did nothing else I must vote to repeal section 59 of the Crimes Act. 
Hon Members 
: It doesn’t do that. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: The member is speaking from the back of the Chamber. One cannot possibly hear him. I ask members to restrain themselves. 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: Thank you Madam Chairperson. I listened to Maxine Hodgson and she said that we must repeal section 59. I believe that Maxine Hobson is at the front line. She knows what she is talking about. She is a person who is well versed in the area of child advocacy and she is a person whom I respect. 
Maxine Hodgson says along with all of the other advocacy groups for children—Barnardos EPOCH Parentline and the Presbyterian Church; they all say this—that provision should go and those people all say that because they understand something that is not being talked about today. It is that this measure is the beginning of a very very long road towards reducing child abuse in this country. This bill is about the children. It is not about the sorts of things that have been spoken about here tonight. It is not about somebody’s right to beat a child. This is about the first step in a long journey towards doing something about a curse on our society that I believe we should all be concerned about and all do something about. 
I for one am very very scathing of people who talk to me about crime and about abuse—about the abuse of the elderly about the abuse of women and about the abuse of children—but who when the chance comes to do one little thing about those things run for the hills. They run for the hills and they do not have the guts to stand up in this Parliament and vote for something that is a little— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: I say to Mrs Collins and to other members at the back—Mr Bennett—one cannot hear a thing. The noise is going across the Chamber and I ask members to have some consideration for other people. 
Judith Collins 
: I raise a point of order Madam Chairperson. I understand that it is unparliamentary to stand up in this Chamber and accuse other members of lacking guts. That is exactly what Mr Woolerton just did. You did not take any action on it so some of us felt the need to do something about it. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: I could not hear a word of it because of the screaming coming from that member’s side of the Chamber. If Mr Woolerton did say that I ask him to withdraw and apologise. 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: Quite obviously I would never accuse that member of lacking guts so I withdraw and apologise and I do so humbly. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: Please be seated. [ 
Interruption 
] I am on my feet; that is your final warning. Mr Woolerton you know that when you are asked to withdraw and apologise you cannot say anything else but that you withdraw and apologise. 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: Thank you Madam Chair. I take your advice and I withdraw and apologise. I think it behoves all of us— 
Hon Bill English 
: I raise a point of order Madam Chairperson. The member knows the Standing Orders and he should have to comply with them; they are of long standing and are well understood. The only thing a member can say is that he or she withdraws and apologises; a member cannot say anything else. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: That is exactly what the member has just done. 
Hon Bill English 
: I raise a point of order Madam Chairperson. The member said clearly—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: I give members another warning. When we are dealing with points of order they will be dealt with in silence. I certainly understood very clearly that the member was responding to what I had said which was to say nothing else but that he withdraws and apologises. 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
I think it behoves all of us in this Committee to take things one step at a time. It is a fool quite frankly who believes that a problem such as child abuse can be cured in one fell swoop. It is naive and it simply will not happen. So of course the first step must be a little step—and this is a little step. 
Members have been calling out to me saying: “You’re gone Doug.” and all that sort of thing. I just want to say that I belong to a party—and I must say that I had a huge part in forming that party and bringing it to this Parliament—that I believe stands for tolerance a party that straddles the middle ground in Parliament and a party that sadly I feel has put pressure on me not to stand up and support this bill. I say to anybody who believes that I do not have a right as a list MP to speak on a conscience issue and to anybody who would seek to demote me in the situation of a party list that there are people—and I make this absolutely plain to everybody in this Committee—good God-fearing people in New Zealand First who believe that section 59 should be removed. I do not deny those who do not believe that but I want to make sure that everybody in this Committee and everybody in this country knows that there are people in New Zealand First who believe that. I speak for them when I come into this Chamber and say that we should take this first step on the path towards getting rid of the scourge of child abuse.