Macindoe TimHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Thank you Madam Chair and I'm pleased to pick up where the Hon Dr Nick Smith left off because ordinarily the debate over a commencement date would probably be fairly short and of limited interest but in this particular instance it is actually of huge significance. The main reason why I suggest it is of great significance is the fact that this is a measure that does not enjoy the support of the majority of members of this House. It is also a measure that certainly does not have the endorsement of the wider New Zealand electorate. I ask members: how many of us had a debate in our electorates during the 2017 general election campaign over this measure? None—absolute silence. This was never mentioned. Had it been mentioned I can assure you that in the Hamilton West electorate I would have been fiercely opposing it and I only have the opportunity to show my opposition for it here in this House.This is my first call on clause 2 of this bill but I feel incredibly strongly that we must oppose the intended commencement date with every fibre of our beings. Where a measure of such Draconian and obnoxious implications that is such an affront to the democracy of our country is being introduced at frankly the behest of one minor party in the Government and where there is not public support or there has not even been a public debate we should be pushing back with all the energy that we can muster. I want to suggest that at the very least we should defer the commencement date for this bill until after the 2020 general election.I say to the Minister who is in the chair: take this bill to the next general election. Put this up for debate so that we can all debate its merits or otherwise because I can tell the Minister who is in the chair that not one of my constituents in the Hamilton West electorate has said Yes this is a good idea." Not one person came to the select committee and said "Yes this is a good idea." None of the submissions supported it. To be putting through such a significant change to the electoral legislation of this country with no support is really outrageous.I make the point in particular while one of the co-leaders of the Green Party is here that theirs is a party that previously had a very proud reputation of standing up for those who said that members of Parliament should be able to express their views—members of Parliament should be able to act with the sort of courage to outline views that may not be consistent with their party's philosophy—but they have not had the opportunity. No one in the Green Party had the opportunity to go out and say "Let's have a commencement date for a waka-jumping bill that comes into force in 2018 just one year after an election when not only was it not debated but had it been debated we would have looked back to the proud tradition of the likes of Rod Donald and Jeanette Fitzsimons and so many others and said 'We in the Green Party have always opposed this measure.' "So in fairness to the Green Party let's push it out to the next election at the very earliest or if that can't be done could I suggest that the commencement date should at least be deferred until after the next Green Party conference so that their members—who we know are strongly opposed to this bill—can have an opportunity to say to their MPs "Actually we think you've got it wrong here. We would like you to reconsider. We would like you to stay true to the principles that we have always upheld in the Green Party." I know even though I'm not a member of the Green Party that Green Party members around the country are really concerned about what is being promoted through this legislation and I know that they would really wish their MPs would stand up in this House and say "We don't have to support this measure." The Government won't fall if this measure is defeated. The Government didn't campaign on this. The three parties that make up the looser coalition and supply agreement of this Government did not all sit down and say "Let's do this." So their views should be respected and in fairness—[Time expired]"