House passes local MP’s bill

By Frank Neill

Ginny Andersen’s bill – the Crimes (Child Exploitation Offences) Amendment Bill – was passed by Parliament on 5 April. Only one more step remained before the bill becomes law following its passage through the House, the assent of the Governor-General. That is where the Governor-General formally signs the bill into law.

The new law amends the Crimes Act 1961 to make it an offence for a person over 18 to use online communications to falsely represent their age or identity with the intention to meet with someone under 16.

It also makes it an offence for someone over 18 to use online communications to plan to cause harm to a person under 16.

“I’m so pleased to see [the bill] pass into law,” Ms Andersen says.

“I know many parents are fearful of their children being exploited online.

“We know that sex offenders use online platforms to target children and young people in order to facilitate sexual offending.

“This bill creates new offences to protect our kids and I’m so pleased to see it pass into law,” she says.

After Ms Andersen placed the bill in the Parliamentary ballot, it was one of the pieces of proposed legislation that succeeded in being drawn on 5 August 2021.

It then succeeded at its first reading on 20 October 2021 and its second reading on 9 November 2022.

When Ms Andersen was promoted to Cabinet on 31 January this year, she had to hand over responsibility for the bill, as Cabinet Ministers cannot sponsor private member’s bills.

“I’d like to give special thanks to my colleague and friend Angie Warren-Clark for taking this bill through its final stages after I became a Minister,” Ms Andersen says.

Love Wainuiomata.