Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill

I move, That the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill be now read a second time. It is a great pleasure to take a call on the second reading of my bill. It has had a long gestation period, being the latest in a number of ideas that I have had for members’ bills. Other proposals pitched include changes to the right-hand rule that were adopted by the Government, measures to deal with low-ball share offers that were rolled into Government financial legislation, and a strategy to increase small and medium scale renewable electricity generation, a proposal that has not been adopted. However, three out of four is not bad.

I have great pleasure to be a member of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee, the chairman of which, David Bennett, is right beside me here. He did an excellent job of chairing that committee, which has examined this bill and recommended unanimously that it be passed. I am very grateful for the support that we received on the select committee from across the House. The select committee recommended that it be passed with amendments.

The bill seeks to amend the Summary Offences Act 1981 to make it an offence for a person to possess a handheld laser in a public place without reasonable excuse. If I could just hold this up, this is a handheld laser. It can sit in the pocket very readily, but it can cause enormous—enormous—damage to people’s eyesight, and, equally, it can blind people who are driving motorcars, but more important is the damage it can do to the night vision of pilots.

The committee recommended changing the name of the bill to refer more accurately to the type of laser that it seeks to control. The committee felt that an amendment to retitle the bill as the “Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill” would better reflect our recommended change to the definition of the devices that the bill covered. The definition now provides that a “high-power laser pointer means a device that,—(a) in the Director-General of Health’s opinion, is of the kind commonly known as a laser pointer; and (b) is battery operated; and”—as you can see, this one I am holding has no power cable—“(c) is designed or intended to be operated while held in the hand; and (d) produces a coherent beam of optical radiation of low divergence;”—namely, a laser beam—“and”—crucially—“(e) has a power output of greater than 1 milliwatt.”

The definition of high-power laser pointers is that used in the two new controls that came into effect from 1 March to help manage the health and safety risk to the public of the use or misuse of high-power laser pointers. I refer, of course, to these new controls that the Government has brought in to cover the importation, supply, and acquisition of high-power laser pointers. The Customs Important Prohibition (High-power Laser Pointers) Order 2013 restricts the importation of high-power laser pointers unless a person has consent to do so. Anyone who commits an offence under that regulation is liable to a fine of up to $5,000. Similarly, a body corporate is liable to a fine of up to $10,000. The Health (High-power Laser Pointers) Regulations 2013 restrict the supply or acquisition of high-power laser pointers unless a person has obtained permission to do so. Anyone who commits an offence under that regulation is liable upon conviction to a fine of up to $500.

The committee felt that it was important that there was consistency between the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill’s definition of a high-power laser pointer and the definition in the other legislation. Hence, it recommended that it applies to laser pointers with power outputs greater than 1 milliwatt.

In my original bill, the legislation would have empowered the police to seize and retain any laser found on a person in a public place. The committee recommended omitting the seizure provision as seizure powers are now available to the police under the Search and Surveillance Act 2012, which came into effect after my bill was originally drafted.

The committee also recommended amending the start date so that the legislation would come into force 28 days after the date upon which it received the Royal assent. This would, it was felt, provide the public with reasonable notice of the law change.

This bill has been a long time in getting to its second reading. I have my office in the vibrant and diverse community of Manurewa, as, indeed, does Louisa Wall, the member for Manurewa, who is sitting opposite me at this point in time. I think we both take pleasure from the fact that our community in Manurewa will be rendered safer by the passage of this bill. From my time in the electorate since 2008, I have been very much aware of the many planes flying over our Manurewa community. In fact, Auckland International Airport receives over 140,000 flights a year—140,000 flights a year. I became aware of the increasing attempts to interfere with these flights, particularly on take-off and landing.

This was happening not just around Auckland Airport but around many of the airports of New Zealand. Since the first draft of this bill, the number of laser pointer attacks on New Zealand aircraft has been steadily increasing. In 2011 the Civil Aviation Authority received 100 laser strike reports. In 2012 there were slightly more, at 102. In 2013 there were 119 reported, and already this year, more and more are being reported.

In a recent instance just a few months ago, a laser pointer was aimed at a Nelson-Marlborough rescue helicopter on its way back from a late-night rescue mission. A few weeks ago a man appeared in the Auckland District Court charged with pointing a particularly powerful blue laser at the police Eagle helicopter. This particular individual was on the balcony of his home on Karangahape Road and he engaged the helicopter as it was taking off from the police helicopter pad at Mechanics Bay. For those who are unaware of Auckland geography, this is a distance of some 4 kilometres—4 kilometres. As the police stated at the time, the incident had the potential to be fatal, given the power of this laser and the potential for things to go wrong. It was incredibly dangerous and incredibly silly, especially over a populated area. It should be noted that as this offender was apprehended actually using a laser pointer, he was—not surprisingly, given that he was doing it to the police Eagle helicopter—prosecuted under section 270 of the Crimes Act. The Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill is designed to have a preventive aspect to remove the potential for these random acts of mischief from miscreants out and about with laser pointers, such as this one, in their possession.

I am extremely pleased that this House is in the process of considering this legislation, which we know will decrease the chances of these lasers being misused. They are potentially exceedingly dangerous weapons. Just last year, a simple internet search revealed that it was possible to purchase high-power lasers of up to 800 milliwatts relatively inexpensively on the internet. They were advertised as 532 nanometre lasers “to impress even the serious professional.”

💬 Dr Megan Woods: Like a Jedi.

These lasers “can burst balloon’s, melt plastic, light matches and have a range of up to 60 miles!”—yes, up to 60 miles. These devices can be readily carried—I can see you blanching, Mr Deputy Speaker. You are blanching with fear at the damage that these devices could cause if misused.

Last week I checked the internet again—and this brings me to a comment made by Dr Megan Woods, my colleague from across the House, because in that internet search just last week there was advertised a laser of 2,000 milliwatts in power, costing under $300, with quotes such as: “A real life lightsaber” from CNN, “The perfect gift for the supervillain.” from the Wall Street Journal, and “A seriously baddass laser device.” from Wired magazine. These user reviews underline just how dangerous these devices are.

I could go on, and I shall in the later stages when we are considering this, but for now I will say that this is a very simple bill. It is a perfectly formed bill. There is nothing complicated about this bill. I understand that it is widely supported across the House. This bill will make New Zealand a safer place. I commend it to the House.

I want to thank the member Cam Calder for enlightening us on the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill and for shining a light on the priorities of this Government—shining a light on the priorities of this Government on a members’ day, when we have more important issues that we should be debating, like paid parental leave. I am sure that Cam Calder will be delighted that this bill has finally reached its second reading. I know he has been very anxious about his legacy—his enlightened legacy—that he will leave behind. He wants to have this bill as his legacy. The people of Manurewa, he tells us, are lined up waiting until this bill is concluded so they will know that they are safe at night—that they are safe because Cam Calder has brought forward a bill to ban lasers.

All jokes aside, I do have to say that there are some issues here about aircraft and shipping. I think it is fair enough that he has tried to address this issue, although I do question whether it could have been slipped into a transport bill. I think it could have been. Cam Calder, along with David Bennett and me, has sat on the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee for the last 3 years. We have considered several bills on transport—really important ones, actually, like reducing the blood-alcohol limit. It was really important that the Government finally got to that. But we could have slipped this into a transport bill instead of wasting our time on a members’ day. I really do think that your party has done you a disservice, Dr Calder, by not doing that. It has not shown you the respect that you deserve, bringing such an important bill to the House on a members’ day, and not shown you the respect that you need in order to have as your legacy that we are going to ban lasers. We are shining the light on the issue of lasers.

As I said, all jokes aside, there are some issues here. There are some issues. There are one or two minor things—one or two minor things. There have been a few lasers thrown around in the House by Dr Calder, actually. There have been instances in recent years. It is not a new idea. In fact, I think we were talking about this in 2010, were we not? However, the bill does aim to have a preventive impact—we will see. We will see. I am not sure that you can control larrikins who decide to get a hold of new bits of equipment and shine them in the wrong places.

But I would say that we are a very generous Opposition. We support members’ bills when there is a worthy cause, unlike the Government, which has been extremely miserly and mean when it comes to members’ bills. I can think of four member’s bills in my name that will not be part of my legacy when I leave this Parliament in a few months’ time because the Government is too miserable to see a good idea when it comes up because we presented it. If it was not the Government’s idea, it does not think it is a good idea. However, in conclusion, I do extend my congratulations to the member Dr Cam Calder. I do wish him well in his post-parliamentary life, and I am sure that there are going to be many enlightened times ahead of him. Thank you.

It is great to see such camaraderie between members of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee. Both members, Cam Calder and Darien Fenton, are departing from this House after the election, and both have contributed significantly to that committee. It has been a pleasure to have both of them on the committee and to have the input that they have given.

In relation to this bill, the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill, I would like especially to commend Dr Cam Calder—one of our fine members of Parliament from the region of Auckland and a very proud representative of that region—for a bill that has actually brought something that is relevant and that will potentially save lives. We never know what may happen. You see many planes that crash near airports. You see many accidents that do happen and nobody really knows, sometimes, what actually did happen. This bill is the prevention and the cure for the illness that potentially may afflict somebody.

It was important that the select committee looked at this bill, and changes were made. The select committee looked at the definition of “hand-held lasers” and then changed it to the high-powered types, and that is reflected in the change in name for the legislation and also in the definition of “high-power laser pointer”. The select committee members looked at what the options were and came to a good conclusion, which actually assists this bill while keeping the heart of it together to achieve the purpose that Dr Cam Calder rightly brought before this House.

This is a good bill. It is a bill that will actually make a difference. It will do things that are important. I would like to congratulate the member on bringing this forward and on the way that he has taken it through the House, and I also acknowledge the support of other political parties in this House to make sure that this bill is passed and that we see the results of the endeavours of Dr Cam Calder. Thank you.

Talofa lava lau afioga, Mr Deputy Speaker. E muamua ‘ona ou fa’aali atu. ‘O le vaiaso taua lenei. ‘O le vaiaso ‘e fa’ataua ai le gagana Samoa. ‘O le gagana Samoa ‘o se ‘auro ‘e fa’ataua aua le fa’alelei atili mo tupulaga i tausaga i luma. The Samoan language is a treasure we must safeguard for future generations.

I want to add my voice to the support already expressed by my colleague Darien Fenton for the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill. It did not escape my notice that there was an outbreak of cross-party camaraderie when the last couple of speakers were on their feet. I am glad to be rejoining the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee under the avuncular leadership of David Bennett. David is now going to look that up in the dictionary. We support this bill. It is a common-sense measure. It has been clear for a few years now, and I want to thank Darien Fenton and Iain Lees-Galloway for their efforts in bringing the issue of lasers and the hazard they pose to aviation to public awareness. We are happy to support this bill. As Darien Fenton pointed out, we think that it would have been better dealt with in a more timely way if the Government had made it a Government bill, but, nevertheless, we are happy to support the efforts of Cam Calder. Thank you.

I am pleased to take a short call to speak to the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill—a short call being appropriate, given the length of the bill itself. This bill, I think, among other things, is a testament to the value and the importance of the select committee process. As the bill was first drafted, the Greens were unable to support it. The bill has gone through the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee, and necessary changes have been made that now make it a piece of legislation we can support. In presenting the bill originally, Dr Calder made very sound argument and, in fact, there was a problem with these instruments, with these lasers—not least of all is that there is a level of self-interest for all of us, because we all fly a great deal. We have a high number of recorded incidents of these lasers being used inappropriately against aircraft and, indeed, against moving vehicles, which is an incredibly dangerous and stupid thing to do.

When the bill was presented, it was acknowledged that there was existing legislation to deal with the malicious use of lasers. This bill was seen as a preventative mechanism. In fact, it was described as a prophylactic in the earlier debate, which I believe caused some confusion to some members. Nevertheless, one of the key changes that needed to be made to this bill and that has been made is that it now identifies possession without reasonable cause of high-powered lasers—lasers or instruments above 1 milliwatt. It does not sound like a great deal, but, of course, in terms of these instruments, it is, indeed, a very powerful and potentially very dangerous tool in the wrong hands.

The original bill allowed for search and seizure. We had some unease about that. We are concerned that the innocent possession of a simple device used for legitimate purposes could be used as a bit of a stalking horse inappropriately. We are pleased that that provision has also been taken out of the bill. The bill as it stands does address a real problem. It does it in a way that offers some protection and it puts some sensible definitions around the type of instrument or tool or whatever you call these things that will be managed and controlled by the bill. It is something around which we hoped common sense would prevail—that people would not use these items maliciously—but, unfortunately, that has occurred.

I would agree with the sentiments from some of our Labour colleagues. We have some concerns about the way in which the member’s bill process has been used, particularly in this Parliament. But, nevertheless, all credit to Dr Calder for presenting what has, ultimately, become a useful piece of legislation that the Greens will support. Thank you.

I also stand to join in the love fest for the fine member Dr Cam Calder and this piece of legislation, the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill. Although there has been a little bit of tongue in cheek—I think in one previous debate we were talking about Iain Lees-Galloway playing with his pussy in his living room, with his laser light or something of that nature—

💬 Iain Lees-Galloway: You’re obsessed.

Indeed! There is a high possibility. There has been an element of joviality, I guess, but, in all seriousness, this bill deals with what potentially is a fatal act. Indeed, we have seen it overseas in warring nations, where high-powered lasers have actually been used in efforts to take down enemy aircraft or allied aircraft. Although we do see them obviously here in the New Zealand domestic setting, it is a fact to say that hand-held lasers and particularly high-powered ones are used as a weapon of war. What we are dealing with here, putting all jokes aside, is a very serious piece of legislation. I know that Dr Calder has worked very, very hard to try to ascertain exactly where this piece of legislation should land, in terms of the nature of the possession of hand-held lasers. This is very much talking about the preventative end of the spectrum, rather than a punitive one, after the act, if you like, and also what would constitute a laser light sufficient to cause distraction to a pilot or blind a pilot or a vehicle user.

I know Dr Calder did have some reservations about the idea of consigning it only to high-powered lasers. That said, the officials made very good points as to why that should be the case. It is interesting, when we reflect on something such as the possession of a knife, which in itself may not constitute an offence but in given circumstances obviously can do. But we do not measure the length of a knife, in terms of whether or not it would constitute being a dangerous offence. I guess Dr Calder rightly pointed out that we are in that same territory when we talk about a laser. But I think, on balance, we have landed in a good space on this bill. I think it is testament to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee process that we are able to work through this, so that the bill achieves what it is intended to do and that is not to send shivers down the spines of university lecturers around the country who have a hand-held laser in their pocket and are on their way to lecture the fine citizens of New Zealand. It is for those who have a high-powered laser in their possession and potentially would use it in a malicious and dangerous manner. In that regard I think the legislation has achieved its purpose.

Like so many things in life, I think it is the little things that get you—not you, Mr Deputy Speaker, so much, but the public—and this is one of those things. A little thing can have a marked and significant impact, and in fact can cause the loss of life. Although I do not believe that every pilot in New Zealand is sitting around watching the passage of this legislation through the House, I know that they will certainly be grateful for the work of Dr Cam Calder. I think it is a very tidy, constructive piece of legislation. I have enjoyed working with members from across the House and actually doing something that, while we can trifle about it in some small shape or form, is a significant and important change. I think it has the potential to save lives. It is as simple as that. I am very happy to commend the work of Dr Calder, the select committee, and this bill to the House.

I am pleased to rise on behalf of New Zealand First to speak to the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill. New Zealand First supports this bill. We are happy to support the bill, and we congratulate the member, the fine and, some might say, truly gentlemanly Dr Calder, on bringing it to the House and on being fortunate enough to have it drawn out of the ballot.

The world has changed a great deal in recent decades. The rapid march of technology, and in particular the rapidly increasing availability and the equally rapidly diminishing cost of that technology, means that even more and more advanced technological devices are very much a part of that changing environment. Thirty years ago—30 quite frighteningly short years ago, I might say—I was a high school student, as I know many similarly youthful members were also. Back then, in the early 1980s, not so very long ago, advanced devices such as lasers were still very much the thing of science fiction here in New Zealand. They were not dime-a-dozen devices playing a part in people’s ordinary, everyday lives.

Today we have lasers employed in surgery and in dentistry, when back then it was drills and scalpels. Not so very long ago at all the idea of laser eye surgery was nothing more than a cruel fantasy for people suffering from correctable vision problems. We use lasers for finding levels and for building, where once we used spirit levels and string lines and plumb bobs. Lasers in industry guide everything from the blades in the sawmill to the container cranes at the seaport, to the robots in the car factory. Lasers can tell the police how fast I am driving, and they can ensure that the unfortunate bunny, or other creature, in the cross-hairs of my telescopic sight has no chance of escape.

Lasers are part and parcel of modern-day life. Thirty years ago the concept of CDs and DVDs would not have been believed by most people, let alone accepted as truth of the near future. Today every home in the country has one or two or more of the devices that play these now nearly obsolete formats, and every one of them uses lasers to extract the information off the disc and convert it into images and sounds. Thirty years ago, lasers were the stuff of Star Wars. Today they are in everything from the reversing camera in a car to the cutters in the engraving industry, to medical science, to music shows, to barcode readers, to welders, to range finders, to printers, to pointers, and to God alone knows what else.

Once upon a time—again not so very long ago—tattoos were for ever. Today they are easily and almost painlessly able to be removed by yet another application of the marvellous and versatile thing that is the laser. Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation—that is what the word “laser” is an acronym for. It was developed in 1958 as one manifestation of the discovery of wave-particle duality, the mechanism by which light can exist as a wave or as a particle, but not both at the same time. From those humble beginnings, just a little over a half century ago, lasers have indeed grown and developed, so that today what were once mere fantasies of the future have become the reality. The fiction that is Star Wars is being rolled out in real life, even as we debate. The United States Navy will deploy its first naval laser weapon system aboard the United States Navy ship Ponce this northern summer.

It may surprise and disturb some people, perhaps even some members, to learn that lasers are already being used as weapons in New Zealand. Some people are using lasers as weapons of stupidity, potentially as weapons of crime. Perhaps, even here, there is the possibility that they may come to be used as weapons of terrorism. Powerful laser pointers—not the ones in the same league that the US Navy intends to employ to shoot down missiles and drones and even incoming artillery shells, but powerful enough—can light a match, burst a balloon, set fire to a piece of paper, or blind a pilot or a driver from as far away as 10 kilometres. Those lasers are available for a couple hundred bucks over the internet. They are as small as a ballpoint pen and are powered by a couple of ordinary AAA batteries.

It is these devices that Dr Calder’s bill seeks to remove from the hands of the irresponsible and the malicious, and we support him wholeheartedly in that. The Transport and Industrial Relations Committee agreed, as do we, that this bill be passed, albeit with a couple of minor amendments. The committee proposed that the name of the bill be changed to emphasise that it is for only powerful laser pointers and not the very small, low-powered ones, which are used legitimately as actual laser pointers or for driving one’s cat to distraction. It is for the powerful ones that put out up to 3 watts in power, and for which there is no legitimate justification for ownership. This is a sensible change in our estimation.

The committee also recommended that the commencement date for the legislation be 28 days after the date on which the bill receives the Royal assent. The reasoning is that this will give the public reasonable notice of the law change. We do not agree with this. In New Zealand First’s view it would give the aforementioned irresponsible and malicious users of these devices a 28-day window in which to order up large on the internet and gain possession of a stock of these powerful lasers—but so be it. We register our disapproval but we accept the will of the majority of the House. We urge the House to reconsider this particular recommendation of the committee.

The committee has recommended deleting the seizure provision in section 13B, in clause 4 of the bill, on the grounds that it is not necessary as seizure powers are available to the police under the Search and Surveillance Act 2012. That may be so, but we would prefer the provision to remain or to at least be retained as a general provision incorporating a reference to the relevant section or sections of the aforementioned Act. In the interest of avoiding any possible doubt or ambiguity, the retention of the provision would, in our view, have made for pretty cheap insurance.

Lastly, the committee recommends amending the definition of “laser” as it pertains to this bill by way of adopting the definition of “high-power laser pointers” in the Customs Import Prohibition (High-power Laser Pointers) Order 2013. This definition specifies devices with a power output that is greater than 1 milliwatt, and it ensures consistency with other legislation, such as the Health (High-power Laser Pointers) Regulations 2013. It also quantifies the committee’s recommendation as to the change of the name of the bill. New Zealand First agrees with this final recommendation.

In this time when the safety of air travel is foremost in our minds, New Zealand First sees an added urgency for the adoption of measures such as this bill. The illicit use of powerful laser devices that can blind and disorient aircraft pilots, not to mention drivers on the motorway, holds the potential to cause great damage and to put the lives of literally hundreds of innocent people in genuine dire jeopardy. In closing, I wish to reiterate that New Zealand First congratulates Dr Calder on bringing this fine bill to Parliament. We welcome it. We support it. I commend it to the House. Thank you.

As always, it is a pleasure to follow on from Mr Prosser. He gave such an illuminating speech on this particular item, like he did last time.

💬 Tim Macindoe: You little ray of sunshine, you.

Oh, thank you so much.

💬 Richard Prosser: Are you talking about me?

Indeed, indeed. The Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill is a very important bill. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak about it, because it is so sensible in that it is a preventative impact bill.

I well remember getting a phone call one morning some years ago when I was asked whether I could arrange for a member of staff to go around to my office in Motueka where a window had been broken and it presented a security risk. So I asked: “Oh, blow. I wonder why they broke it?”, and they said: “Oh, we watched them.” I said: “You what?”. They said that they had watched them and that it was going to be either my office or the sports shop next door. The gentleman was apparently inebriated. They were pretty sure it was going to be a window that he went for, and they watched him and he did it. So I said that if they were fairly sure he was going to do it, it might have been prevented. They said: “Well, sir, we can’t go around arresting people just because of what we think, can we?”.

I think that preventative laws are a very good idea. Incidentally, I asked whether there were any political implications in him smashing the window and they said: “No, no, he didn’t know it was your window. He just saw a reflection that he didn’t like and took to it.” As they said, it was either my office or the sports shop next door.

This bill will have a preventative impact and will make it an offence for a person to have in his or her possession a high-powered hand-held laser pointer in a public place without reasonable excuse. This bill also gives the police the power to confiscate lasers found in the possession of a person in a public place.

We have had speakers say that, you know, it is a matter of common sense, and surely we want to hang on to them so that people can use them to play with their cats, and that sort of thing. Well, we are talking about high-powered lasers, but we are also talking about a very real situation. I was astonished to hear that one of our All Blacks had had lasers shone at his eyes when he was lining up to take a kick. Apparently, it also happens in other sports, where you get that sort of thing. People who live in Auckland will remember the period when people thought it was funny to drop things off the overhead bridges on the motorways and on to the cars, because they could not be detected by the time the car was stopped, and that sort of thing. So you cannot say that common sense will dominate a situation.

National is committed to ensuring that the safety of New Zealanders using the transport system is not compromised. This bill ensures proper regulation of devices posing a threat to New Zealanders. It is a thoroughly sensible bill and it is a tribute to Dr Cam Calder that he has brought it forward. He was acquainted with the problem, I think through professional pilots, and he was determined to do something about it.

We have heard people say that this should not really be a member’s bill. I think this is a classic case of a member being approached, being advised, being determined to do something about it, and here we are on the second reading of the bill. It went through the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee—

💬 Simon O’Connor: Fine committee.

—a fine committee—admirably chaired by David Bennett. We have produced a few changes and recommendations. All in all, this will be a successful bill. Thank you.

The Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill is a good bill. It does deal with a serious issue, one that is serious enough that one would have thought that the Government would have actually attended to it and included it within any one of a number of transport bills that it could include it in. It is very pleasing to see that the bill has been tightened up. The one concern that we in the Opposition had with the bill as it was introduced was that it was too broad in its scope. The Transport and Industrial Relations Committee has seen fit to tighten it up to apply only to high-power lasers with a power output greater than 1 milliwatt. That is a sensible improvement, and we in the Opposition are very happy to support it.

I am really pleased to rise and speak to the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill on this—

💬 Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The time has come to suspend the House for dinner. I shall resume the Chair at 7.30 p.m.

Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Members, the House has resumed. Before the dinner break, we were on the second reading of the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill. Iain Lees-Galloway was speaking at the time and has 9 minutes—

💬 Iain Lees-Galloway: No, Simon O’Connor was speaking at the time.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Simon O’Connor was speaking and has 9 minutes and 50 seconds remaining to speak.

I know that my colleagues across the House, particularly Mr Iain Lees-Galloway and the buddy MP crossing the border into my electorate, Carol Beaumont, have been anticipating this speech. When I was rudely interrupted 10 seconds, or 1/100th of the way, into my speech, I was talking about how it was a pleasure to talk to the summary offences bill. The pleasure is because not only is this is an important bill and an important member’s bill but it is in the name of my good friend and colleague Dr Cam Calder. He has put an enormous amount of effort, time, and passion into this bill. I think it is great that the House is supporting it here at its second reading.

It is an important bill because it is responding to what is really a pretty key area of abuse often, which is people using high-power laser pointers. There are plenty of instances in the public domain where helicopters and jets coming into airports have been interfered with. As someone who has had the pleasure of being in a cockpit a few times over the last few years, I realise the critical nature of what is occurring, particularly between 0 feet and 10,000 feet. The pilots are very focused. The last thing they need is a bright laser shining in their eyes.

We are taking this very seriously. The Transport and Industrial Relations Committee looked at a range of options, particularly around the penalties. As I understand it, every person is liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 months or a fine not exceeding $2,000. I think this is a proportionate response and sends a strong signal. We are also saying that those with a high-power laser in their possession need to pretty much have a reasonable excuse. It is hard to think, other than if you are an academic or a researcher, why you would need such a high-powered device with you.

One other thing I would note before concluding the call is that we, as a select committee, looked at the whole search and seizure element. Initially it was in the bill. In itself the bill would have empowered the police to be able to search and seize equipment. It was seen that, actually, that is already within the Search and Surveillance Act 2012, so we were happy to have the bill refer to that. It is a good bill. It has been worked at very hard not only by the select committee but, of course, by Dr Cam Calder. Once again at this second reading, I acknowledge the work that he is doing and commend this bill to the House.

It is a pleasure to speak on the Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill. Like others, I would like to acknowledge Cam Calder for his work in this and wish him well for when he moves on from this place. Essentially, this bill is to have a preventative impact and to make it an offence for a person to have in his or her possession a hand-held laser in a public place without a reasonable excuse. It is a safety measure. Labour supports it and I commend it to the House. Thank you.

Bill read a second time.

Name changed to Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Bill.