Regulatory Systems (Transport) Amendment Bill

Members, Part 2 was deleted at select committee, so we now come to the debate on Part 3—clauses 14 to 20 and Schedule 2. This is the debate on the amendments to the Maritime Security Act 2004. The question is that Part 3 stand part.

I’ll just canvass some of the key provisions in Part 3 pretty briefly. As I described in my opening comments to Part 1, what members will find in this bill is that most of the key provisions of the bill flow out consistently across the different parts. They simply apply to different pieces of primary legislation. In this case, it’s the Maritime Security Act in respect of Part 3.

The key provisions here are changes which ensure that the facility of transport instruments are able to apply to this piece of legislation. As we’ve canvassed in the debate around Part 1, this is a really important part of making sure that we have a regulatory system which can be flexible, which can respond to technological changes, and which enables the director of Maritime New Zealand, in this case, to be able to make appropriate changes to the regulatory environment to keep that landscape up to date.

A couple of other changes are just worth mentioning in this part. One is a change to the penalty limits that apply to this piece of legislation. This brings those penalty limits to a level that is consistent with other pieces of transport legislation. We’re currently below the limits that apply across other pieces of transport legislation and, as we’ve canvassed as well, members, we are making a range of clarifications to the way that the exemptions process works.

I note that in the report back from the select committee, we’ve made that change, which, again, is reflected in Part 1—which we’ve previously debated—which just clarifies that when it comes to class exemptions, class exemptions will not be subject to appeal, and that is because they are, in fact, pieces of secondary legislation which can be reviewed by the Regulations Review Committee and are also disallowable.

So those, I think, are probably the key things to cover off in respect of this part, members, and I’m happy to take any questions that members may have.

The question is that the Minister’s amendments to Part 3 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 16 be agreed to.

Amendments agreed to.

The question is that Part 3 as amended stand part.

Part 3 as amended agreed to.

Part 4 Amendments to Maritime Transport Act 1994