Eckhoff Gerrard: Education (Trustee Ineligibility) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Eckhoff Gerrard: Education (Trustee Ineligibility) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
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GERRARD ECKHOFF (ACT) 
: 
 I must say I was rather pleased to hear Helen Duncan’s speech because I had been sitting and listening to Ms Lynne Pillay’s speech and I thought what a mean-spirited speech it was. Could she not give a bit of credit to an Opposition member who has come up with something perfectly sensible? I find it totally distasteful especially on members’ day for a member not to give a bit of credit where it is due to somebody who has come up with a bill that I think the whole of New Zealand will be in favour of—with the exception of course of paedophiles and those kinds of elements within our society which regrettably we do have. 
Lynne Pillay 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is just a correction. Whilst I did have some misgivings about the bill— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Clem Simich) 
: That is not a point of order. 
GERRARD ECKHOFF 
: Let me make it very clear that both myself and the ACT party are far more interested in the rights of children to be safe at school at a playground in their homes or wherever they might be than we are interested in protecting the real or imagined human rights of these individuals whom we know as paedophiles—which is what it seems some on the Government side are interested in. 
It would be far more appropriate for my colleague Deborah Coddington to be standing here. Unfortunately she is out on the road doing God’s work on another issue. Deborah Coddington is a hugely courageous lady whom I think this House should recognise. I am a little saddened that none of the members on the Government side have even mentioned the fact that Deborah Coddington published a register on paedophiles and received quite a substantial amount of abuse and I understand even death threats from those individuals for having the courage to tell the public of this country that they exist within our society. She has made it much easier for people in the community—for those involved with schools for example. They can look up that register and see whether an applicant or somebody standing has been convicted of these appalling crimes. I think it is appropriate in the first reading of this bill to pay some substantial homage to Deborah Coddington’s courageous work on this issue. 
Most members’ bills as far as I am concerned should go to a select committee for consideration and especially of course a bill of this nature. But I would ask this question my having got a bit of barracking from Government members: “Why is this bill not sponsored by the Government?”. It is a perfectly fair and reasonable question. Why does not one of the Government members or the Government say to Mr Brownlee: “Look we would like to sponsor this bill. We would like to take it over and assist its passage through the House because we think it is an important bill.”? There is dead silence from the Government. Its members do not like to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. They do not like to give an Opposition member a little credit. They are a mean-spirited bunch these Labour Government members; even on an important bill such as this they tend to denigrate the efforts of the Opposition rather than say: “Well done Mr Brownlee. Thank you for bringing this bill before the House because it is of some very real significance to our society.” 
Most of the previous speakers have touched on all the important points but one thing I would like to say is that I would not personally restrict this bill to the trustees of schools. I would like to extend it to every public body throughout this country. I do not care whether these people have served their time or whatever. Personally I would bung a few of them into stocks in the town square and make sure that the public of this country really do know who these people are but we apparently—regrettably in some cases—have moved on from those times. I think this kind of offence is a crime against humanity of course but a crime against humanity is even worse when it is against our youngest and most vulnerable.