DAVID GARRETT (ACT): I rise to speak on Part 1 of the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Amendment Bill in order to correct some misinformation that has been promulgated by Mr Darren Hughes. For those of us in the Chamber who are old enough to remember, Mr Hughes appears to be the Peter Thornton of the Labour Party, the troubleshooter who comes to fix things up. Maryan Street knows what I am talking about.

Mr Parker talked about the inhumanity of National in suggesting that when the tyrant, the fiend, Graeme Burton rejoins society, to deny him a $10,000 titanium leg will somehow make the National Party and, by inference, the ACT Party inhumane and lacking in compassion. Let me tell Mr Parker this: Graeme Burton is a psychotic killer. If Mr Parker were on Earth instead of Mars he would know that he will never be released, ever. He knows that. Darren Hughes is nodding. He knows it, too.

The member is being disingenuous—or “disingenius” as Jacinda Ardern has put it—in claiming that members on this side of the House are lacking in compassion. Graeme Burton is entitled to food, medical treatment, not to be tortured, and not much else. He is certainly not entitled to a $10,000 titanium leg. Every such leg given to somebody like Graeme Burton means that somebody else does not receive the benefit of the scare resources of accident compensation. Mr Hughes—and you can look uncomfortable, Mr Parker; I am sure you will—can come down here and act as Peter Thornton as much as he wishes, but you said it.

Yes, that member did say that. I would like the 152 people listening to this debate to note that the member stands by his statement that to deny Graeme Burton a $10,000 titanium leg is lacking in compassion. Well, I do not believe that is the case. Those resources are scarce. We all agree that accident compensation needs to be given to people who need it, not to criminals escaping from jail, not to Graeme Burton to enable him to kill somebody else. He will try again, I say to Mr Parker. If you are too stupid to realise that you should not be here.

It is not my habit to use up time needlessly. I think I have made my point. The scarce resources of the accident compensation system should be applied to people who need and deserve them, and Graeme Burton and other criminals do not fall within that class. I think Mr Parker will be haunted by his statement that he stands by what he said earlier, despite attempts by the troubleshooter to ameliorate what he said. Thank you.