Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill

I raise a point of order, Madam Chairperson. I seek your guidance. You will recall that some little while ago Mr Speaker was recalled to rule on the issue of the form of this bill. In the context of that discussion, Mr Speaker offered a view about this bill being of such significance and moment that it required the widest possible debate by the Committee. He made that point two or three times during his comments to the House. Madam Chair, you will recall that in the period immediately before the Speaker was recalled, the Associate Minister expressed some views—ostensibly to the Committee, but I assume they were directed at you—about the breadth of the debate that had just gone on, and it was certainly interpreted in this part of the Chamber as being some covert hint to you about limiting the debate on Part 2.

Before we commence that debate, I want your assurance that you will be guided by the Speaker’s injunction and not the political advice of the Minister, and given the number of members—there is a very high number of members here for this time of the evening—who are keen to take part in this debate, that you will ensure that every single member who wishes to speak in this debate will have the opportunity to do so, and that you will not be looking to closures for some weeks yet on this particular part.

I take the member’s point. I certainly heard what the Speaker had to say. I did not actually hear what the Associate Minister said before, because I was concentrating on getting the part sorted out. I take the member’s point.

I raise a point of order, Madam Chairperson. I am taking the first opportunity to do this. I appreciate that a comment I made earlier probably went too far, and I do seek to withdraw and apologise to the member in the chair—the member promoting the bill.

The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley): Thank you.

I raise a point of order, Madam Chairperson. Two points of order ago, you said that the House was resumed, and I assume that that was just a slip.

The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley): I thank the member; I did mean to say that the Committee is resumed.

In view of the lateness of the evening, and rather than disturb the flow of going on to the next part, I seek the leave for the Committee to rise early.

The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley): Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is.

I raise a point of order, Madam Chairperson. I raised a point of order a moment ago, and you acknowledged that it was a fair point of order. I got a response from the senior Government whip across the way, thrown across to this side of the Chamber. The line was: “What a waste of space.” That was what he said to me—that is what he said to the Committee. That is surely unacceptable. I am seeking that that member withdraw and apologise. We are burdened by his constant interjections and foolish comments, and it is time someone took a stand on his throw-away remarks, which do nothing for the order of the House, or the Committee.

This is actually a very serious issue. We have just had the Speaker recalled on matters that related to comments made by persons outside the House. The Speaker was very quick to remind us that they come down to matters of taste. Here we have a direct case where comments are made, I assume, about a member in the Chamber. Madam Chair, you have to act very strongly on this point. Mr Brown made some telling points in the earlier exchange with the Speaker about the taste, if one likes, of comments made about persons made outside the House. If you now do not uphold the point of order raised by the member, you create a very serious imbalance, it seems to me, which would not be conducive to the good order of this Committee for the remainder of its time this evening.

Thank you Mr Dunne. I call on Part 2. All those—

💬 Richard Worth: My point of order is not resolved.

The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley): There have been a lot of comments across the Chamber. I do not think there is any need for me to rule on that.

I raise a point of order, Madam Chairperson. I believe you have an obligation to rule on it, because my colleague Richard Worth has taken offence. When a member has taken offence, the proper procedure for you is to request, in this instance, the chief Government whip to withdraw and apologise. The reason my colleague Mr Richard Worth took exception is that it fits a pattern of behaviour by the chief whip, and frankly this side of the House has become rather sick and tired of it. When it is personally directed to a member—a specific member—that specific member is entitled to take exception to it, and your proper course then is to ask the offender to withdraw and apologise.

I uphold your ruling—

💬 Hon Member: She hasn’t done it.

As I understand it, the Chair has made a ruling, with respect. The Chair has said there were a lot of comments and does not intend to take any action, and, as I understand it, the point of order was over. If the point of order were under way, then any comment would be out of order, but it is over. The comment “waste of space” does not seem to me to be the worst insult I have heard thrown across the Chmber. I know there are only 2 minutes left, but I would quite like to get on to the bill.

I did not regard the comment, on the face of it, as needing to be ruled on. I will call the next speaker on Part 2.

I am pleased to take a call on this bill. This is an important bill, and I know that we have had a fair amount of argy-bargy across the House tonight. I suppose that if we cannot have that kind of debate across the Chamber in this Parliament, where can we have it? I want to say at what is almost the close of play tonight that this is an important bill about the health of New Zealanders. It would be really good if we as responsible adult members of the public could debate this bill in the manner in which the bill is presented. It is a well-considered bill. A great deal of time and effort has been spent on it, and I would like to recommend to members that when we resume debate on this bill, we should debate it in a mature and considered way. We should leave the name-calling aside and get on with—

💬 Richard Worth: Look to your own party.

I am including all members in that comment. We should put personality issues aside and get on with debating an important bill. In the end, this bill is about protecting the health of all New Zealanders, including some people whom we might be related to ourselves. Let us think about that. It is nearly the end of the sitting for the day, and I implore members to debate the bill rather than personality issues when we resume debate on this.

I take a call to say to the member who has just resumed her seat that what she does not realise is that what the Parliament has been through this evening is a measure of the Committee’s frustration with this bill. This is a deliberate parliamentary tactic to delay the passage of this stupid legislation, and in the time that remains, the Government should listen—

The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley): I am sorry to interrupt the member but the time has come for me to report progress.

Progress reported.

The House adjourned at 9.55 p.m.