Adams Paul: Customs and Excise Amendment Bill Immigration Amendment Bill (No 3) — Third Readings 
Adams Paul: Customs and Excise Amendment Bill Immigration Amendment Bill (No 3) — Third Readings 
[Volume:618;Page:13833] 
PAUL ADAMS (United Future) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of United Future to speak in the third reading debate on this legislation. I pick up on what Peter Brown was saying about the Greens and their rejoicing in the increase in the price of petrol. I am absolutely amazed at that party which wants to take us back 100 years. Despite the Greens I am glad that we can still progress but maybe we will soon get a time capsule that we will be able to put the Greens in and send them back 100 years so they can see what the country was like then which they are trying to take us back to and move on. 
Coming back to the legislation I point out that there is no doubt about the effect of the events of 11 September 2001. I clearly remember that morning. I was rung at about 6 or 6.30 in the morning by my young son who said: “Turn on the television because America is blowing up.” We sat before those screens and many members will have seen the replays. I do not think there is any doubt that we did not fully appreciate the horrific event happening on that day. It was a day when New Zealand went to war. We are probably only now beginning to really appreciate that we are part of that war on terrorism. It is a worldwide terrorism. Therefore we agree that there is no doubt about the need for this border security legislation. 
Whenever a country goes to war it is the responsibility of the Government of the day. I do not know of any countries at war that do not stand and pick up the cost of fighting that war. I do not believe that New Zealanders would object to the cost of our border security and paying for it. It was the amendment to the Customs and Excise Act in relation to contentious cost recovery which was included at the select committee that has forced United Future to vote against that aspect of the legislation. With regard to the amendment to the Immigration Act it is really just a correction of a technical omission that is not controversial and as such United Future will be supporting it. 
The need to increase trade security in New Zealand cannot be disputed. United Future acknowledges this and supports the practical proposals as contained in this bill. We have no arguments against those at all. But the Government swimming against the tides both of industry outrage and common sense has decreed that the private sector should bear a great part of these costs. That to us is really the major challenge with this bill. 
New Zealanders pay taxes. I do not say that they pay them happily but they do pay their taxes. There are many uses of taxes that New Zealanders object strongly to. Many New Zealanders have spoken to me very strongly about having to pay for legal aid to criminals—hundreds of thousands of dollars. But I do not know any New Zealander who would object to the Government picking up the full tab and the full responsibility for paying for the border security of our great nation. They understand that this is a type of war we have never had to fight before. They understand that it is the Government’s responsibility to protect the borders of the nation and United Future agrees with that thinking. We do not agree that the Government should look around and like in a Robin Hood situation rob from the rich and give to the poor by picking up half the tab and then ask who it can get to pick up the rest. 
Exporters labour long and hard and have to face many battles to export their products from our borders for the betterment of our nation. We do not agree they are the ones who should pay for the cost of border security. We believe the Government has an irrational and short-sighted claim that the protection of the New Zealand trading supply chain will benefit only exporters and importers. The protection of these chains of supply is vital to the maintenance of the national economy—there is absolutely no doubt about that. This relationship is particularly important in this country with our heavy reliance on the export economy. We are a nation that must export to progress. We should in every way possible be supporting the export sector which is definitely a public good whose success or otherwise of it impacts on all New Zealanders. 
I believe that the Government has missed a golden opportunity to say to the exporters of this nation: “We recognise that the security of New Zealand’s borders is our responsibility.” I believe that the Government could have won many brownie points telling exporters that it appreciates the hard work they do to build the economy of New Zealand; that it recognises because of the situation since September 11 that it has a right and a responsibility to protect these borders; and that as a Government it will pick up responsibility for what is its responsibility and pay the costs for it. So United Future will not be supporting the Customs and Excise Amendment Bill but will be supporting the second bill that the original bill has been split into which is the Immigration Amendment Bill (No 3).