Inspector-General of Defence Bill

Kia ora, Madam Speaker. I stand here this morning and I see that you—I think I’m allowed to say “you” when I’m referring to you—are wearing a poppy this morning. I know it has already been mentioned, but, obviously, tomorrow is 11 November and that is Armistice Day, where on the 11th day, the 11th hour, the Armistice was signed to end World War I and bring that horrific event—or those events—to an end. So I appreciate seeing that poppy being worn to commemorate, for us to also mourn, those who have been lost not only in the Great War but in many wars and conflicts around our world.

Now, the Armistice is to stand still, is to pause, and is to stop. As we look at this piece of legislation, it’s very much creating an inspector-general that can actually pause and stop and reflect on actions, on what’s taking place, and on what’s happening. So tomorrow, we pause, we commemorate, we reflect, and I’m aware that at Pukeahu, the National War Memorial, there will be a service at 11 o’clock tomorrow for us to remember at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

So this bill is, obviously, looking at our Defence Force and looking at its operation. It’s looking at providing that independent oversight of the New Zealand Defence Force. It’s time and it’s important for us to do that.

I don’t want to sort of bring a negative cloud over the House this morning but there are some huge challenges going on in our world at the moment. We look around and you think of past wars, but you look at the conflict, obviously, that Russia is causing in the Ukraine. You look at other unrest and conflict around the world. But you also look at that unrest that’s going on, whether it be in the Twitterverse or on social media, and the misinformation, disinformation, and the extremists that are coming out and have been coming out for many years. That is really sad. For me, as we reflect on this legislation—and like I say, I don’t want to bring that dark cloud over the House this morning—it is the potential of what could come, what is possible. As we look forward as a nation, we’ve always got to look in the rear-vision mirror and reflect on what has happened.

So to have independent oversight of our Defence Force is key. We hope we don’t have to go to war any time soon. We hope we don’t have to be involved in conflicts any time soon. We hope we don’t have incidents or reason to even use the inspector-general, but I think it is important and I know it is important as a Government putting checks and balances in place to make sure that our Defence Force is one to be viewed around the world as the most non-corrupt, as the most honest, and as the most diligent.

I know in my own whānau, my husband was a member of the New Zealand Defence Force a number of years ago and was on deployment in the Solomon Islands, in peacekeeping roles. That’s so important and it almost fills me with I’m not sure if it’s joy or hope—but that us as a Defence Force in New Zealand, our role isn’t to be this big heavy-handed presence around the world but it is to be a Defence Force that is rebuilding, that is supporting democracy, that is in places and spaces showcasing what a future can actually look like. I know, as I’ve talked about Jon’s time in the Solomon Islands, it very much was that role. It was tough and there was conflict, and, yes, there were guns and bombs and all the things that go with war, but very much the stories that have come back to me from his time there have been around those villages where they were able to rebuild homes, to rebuild infrastructure, to keep peace, and to show what is possible in terms of a democracy and where it is.

So the Inspector-General of Defence Bill is something that, again, as I said, brings transparency. I just want to reflect on one part, which is around the protections of people and information. Particularly, I want to focus on the protections of whistleblowers. Very much, in a system like the Defence Force, it is hierarchical, and we know that. It’s right for it to be hierarchical, to have those systems in place and people who come in and do their basic training and move their way up to whether it be a captain or a general; I never quite know the correct language. I come from The Salvation Army. Our roles are a bit different and our epaulets were slightly different! But I know, often in those hierarchical systems, like our Defence Force, that sometimes people are afraid to speak out, sometimes people are afraid to blow the whistle on behaviours that aren’t right, because it might jeopardise their chances or because they’re looking up the ladder and up the line rather than that equitable system that other industries have.

So to have an Inspector-General of Defence is something that we as a Government are committed to, as has been talked about in this House throughout the bill. Many people have actually spoken around the review that was done into Operation Burnham. Sir Terence Arnold and Sir Geoffrey Palmer identified the actions. So from that come recommendations, and having an Inspector-General of Defence is one of those and is important.

So I reflect on those protections for people and information protecting our whistleblowers. It also makes it an offence in this legislation to obstruct or to lie to the Inspector-General of Defence. It sounds sort of basic and simple, I know, but, again, it’s making it quite clear that we need to make sure that our Defence Force is of a top class and is a defence force that whether you’re young, whether you’re a new recruit, whether you’re a senior member, you feel safe and empowered to speak up and speak out and ensure the protection of all people.

In closing, I’m grateful to be here this morning, to live in a nation that is peaceful, to stand in this Chamber and know that it’s not just the here and now but to look around the room and see all the different names of the conflicts that the members of our Defence Force throughout Aotearoa have been involved in. So we have a wonderful Defence Force. We’ll continue to have a wonderful Defence Force. It is important that the Inspector-General of Defence Bill is passed into law, to ensure that checks and balances are in place and that all people who are in the Defence Force feel safe and affirmed, and that all communities and countries and places where the New Zealand Defence Force is—that they see the authenticity, the transparency, and a Defence Force that is here to serve not only Aotearoa but our world.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity to take a very brief call. I just want to acknowledge the Minister who introduced the bill to the House as a response to the inquiry into Operation Burnham. I also acknowledge that we have set aside a budget of $5.6 million to establish the office of the Inspector-General of Defence in its first three years of operations. I note that this is going to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. I wish them well with that, and with that, I commend the bill to the House.

The question is, That the Inspector-General of Defence Bill be considered by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee.

Motion agreed to.

Bill referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee.

I declare the House in committee for consideration of the Plant Variety Rights Bill.