Guy Nathan: Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Guy Nathan: Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:671;Page:18074] 
Hon NATHAN GUY (Associate Minister of Transport) 
: 
 First of all Mr Chairperson I congratulate you on your new role as Assistant Speaker. I look forward to the contributions you will make in this House as you have done previously. This is a great opportunity for me to take a call on clauses 1 to 3 which relate to the title commencement date and the amendment to the principal Act. A good point for me to begin with is a reassurance to Sue Moroney who raised a few questions about commencement dates. I have those at hand and I thought it would be worthwhile for me to comment on them. These were dates that the officials recommended to the Government. The Order in Council dates relate to matters that require—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I have already cautioned members about interjecting on each other when they do not have the call. It will desist. 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: The Order in Council dates relate to matters that require the New Zealand Transport Agency to make substantial system and information technology changes to make provision for alcohol interlocks and also zero alcohol level licences. 
There are two trigger points that I think are worth mentioning. The first date is 180 days from receiving the Royal assent. That timeframe is to allow consultation with health professionals. Obviously there will be quite a few forms and new techniques required. The other trigger point of 90 days after receiving the Royal assent will prepare for publicity and allow the police to recalibrate equipment which is really important such as roadside breath-screening testing devices for the youth zero blood-alcohol limit and research into the harm caused by drivers with a blood-alcohol limit of between 0.05 grams and 0.08 grams. Of course the day after the Royal assent is when most matters dealing with the repeal of existing provisions in the Transport Act will come into force. 
The other significant point that I wish to raise is the licensing age increase. Supplementary Order Paper 229 proposes to make that change to the licensing age on 1 August this year not 90 days after the Royal assent. The date of 1 August is a Monday and very much gives some certainty to parents and caregivers of young drivers etc. I hope that that puts Sue Moroney’s mind at rest on the commencement dates. 
There has been quite a bit of discussion this evening about the blood-alcohol limit particularly for youth drivers and we know what is involved there. There has been quite a bit of debate from the other side who are proposing that the blood-alcohol level be reduced to 0.05 grams. I did a little bit of research—[ 
Interruption 
] Members might be interested in this. In 2001 the then Minister of Justice Phil Goff said: “If we are going to change the limits there would need to be hard evidence.” Is not that amazing? So Phil Goff in 2001 as the Minister of Justice said that we need— 
Hon Member 
: That was 10 years ago. 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: That is right. In 2001 Phil Goff said that we need hard evidence. He then sat at the Cabinet table for all of that period when Labour was in Government and he did nothing. He did absolutely nothing. Now we hear Labour members crying out in Opposition after 9 years of doing nothing while in Government whereas this Government is now allowing the police to collect this very important data and research. 
The Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is a very pragmatic bill and we have seen that by the engagement we have had through the select committee process. I acknowledge members of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee who are from all sides of the Chamber. I acknowledge the contributions that they have made on this important bill. 
We all know that we need to do more on road safety and I have heard from members opposite tonight that this bill does not go far enough. Well this Government in just a couple of years under Steven Joyce’s stewardship has done an awful lot on road safety. I think we should be proud of what this Government has done in its first couple of years. 
Darien Fenton 
: Nanny State—cellphones. 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: Now we have an interjection of “nanny State” from the other side of the Chamber. On one hand those members are saying “nanny State” which was the catchphrase for them in the 2000s under Helen Clark and on the other hand we have a pragmatic set of changes that will make a huge difference. We all know that our young drivers are causing a great deal of harm to themselves and to others on our roading networks—14 percent of the population causes 37 percent of fatal crashes. We are making some serious changes to address that issue and I believe that it should have the widespread support of the Committee. I am disappointed that our Opposition wants to play politics on an issue that we are trying to address pragmatically.