That bill, which would criminalise the sharing and creation of pornographic deepfakes, has been first term MP\u2019s big political baby and \u201ctop priority\u201d for the past year. Since putting the bill in the ballot in May, she\u2019s spoken with numerous advocates, school teachers, justice minister Paul Goldsmith and survivors of this abuse, and heard \u201cstories that are really heartbreaking in a way that is empowering me more and more to do something about it\u201d. The bill has sparked a rare alliance between Act and Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori, with Hana-R\u0101whiti Maipi-Clarke getting involved in McClure\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
She out-mugged me so bad it\u2019s actually really brave of me to share this.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment, I\u2019m trying to get some kind of justice for these victims or something in place, to see if we can curb the behaviour,\u201d McClure says. \u201cI know various MPs are getting sick of me using various means to lobby them, but it\u2019s not going to go away, these issues. So they may as well get on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
The world of online exploitation is a rabbit hole which can be pretty damn \u201cintense and overwhelming, but I don\u2019t allow it to get me down\u201d. McClure is someone with a pretty strong maternal vibe, so decompressing looks like being able to be at home with the kids in Christchurch and taking time off work to support them on athletics day (\u201cthat was literally touching grass\u201d). Otherwise, you might find her on the couch watching a bit of \u201ctrashy TV\u201d like Love Island, as long as it\u2019s devoid enough of real life problems that you can easily turn on, tune in and drop out.<\/p>\n
But the former business owner reckons her experience doing the \u201chard graft\u201d and hustling through long days at work has set her up to handle this gig pretty nicely. \u201cI look at people like Cam [Luxton] being 10 and 11 on the [Act Party] list, and we don\u2019t have degrees, we have owned our own businesses, and kids in similar ages \u2026 and we\u2019ve come into a space where a lot of people are lawyers, accountants, academics and professionals, and I feel like they forget the voice of the community,\u201d McClure says. \u201cI just wish more everyday people did this job.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE SPINOFF PUB Q+A<\/p>\n
How much should a pint cost?<\/p>\n
The true Libertarian answer would be whatever the market decides, but if I\u2019m honest, I love the good old days when you would go out for ladies\u2019 night. In Christchurch there was The Bush, and Wellington had a bar called Zebo\u2019s, and the drinks were $2.<\/p>\n
Do you have a karaoke go-to?<\/p>\n
My go-to would probably be Alanis Morissette, I quite like \u2018Ironic\u2019. I also grew up in the early 2000s when Singstar was a vibe, and I used to do \u2018Girls Just Wanna Have Fun\u2019, which isn\u2019t really my kind of music, but it was good times. Bring Singstar back!<\/p>\n
Favourite place to get a drink in Aotearoa?<\/p>\n
Going for the place itself \u2013 the scenery \u2013I\u2019d probably say the Marlborough Hotel up north. There\u2019s a beautiful beach, beautiful sunsets,and it\u2019s great if you\u2019ve got kids. But if I was true to my home city, we\u2019ve got a local establishment where I live [Christchurch] called Moon Under Water. They have lots of craft beers and a really good community vibe, heaps of cyclists come off the mountain bike track and come in to grab a beer. They\u2019re dog-friendly, kid-friendly, and just a great community asset.<\/p>\n
Which three MPs would be on your pub quiz team?<\/p>\n
I\u2019d probably have to say Cam [Luxton]<\/a> from our team, not just because he\u2019s a builder and a pretty face, but he is possibly one of the most well-read people that I know. This guy knows a lot about history, philosophy, you name it \u2013 all the pub quizzes I\u2019ve been to with him, we\u2019ve won. I would probably pick Chris Bishop for sports and music, and he\u2019s got a good taste in music: we both love Metallica.<\/p>\n Then I\u2019d probably go for [the Greens\u2019] Lawrence Xu-Nan. He\u2019s got a PhD in Egyptology, but he\u2019s also studied a lot of different things, and I feel like there\u2019s no question that Lawrence wouldn\u2019t be able to answer. Whether I agree with him or not, he\u2019s a good time and such a nice guy. I\u2019m just here for the pop culture vibes, and maybe a bit of history.<\/p>\n Which MP from across the aisle would you most like to share a drink with?<\/p>\n Probably [Labour\u2019s] Arena Williams<\/a>. I don\u2019t actually know her very well, we\u2019re not in any select committees together, but my interactions with her are always good. We\u2019ve got kids of similar ages, we\u2019re both working parents, we\u2019ve both got kind of got similar ideas about where we want to be in the future \u2013 just different ways of getting there. So I would love to sit down with her and pick her brain, whether it\u2019s politics or just talking about her own life and how she balances it all.<\/p>\n Is there an alcohol-related law you would like to change?<\/p>\n It would probably be Easter Trading, and not just because Cam had it [as his members\u2019 bill]. It\u2019s a genuine issue that I think we need to resolve, because it\u2019s really outdated. A lot of bars are struggling right now with getting people through the doors of their brick and mortar, so it would help out a lot.<\/p>\n I would also like to liberate a few laws around having less restrictions, because it\u2019s really hard to do business in New Zealand. I get the concerns with off-licences, but with an on-licence, if you\u2019ve done the market research and want to open a bar or restaurant and serve alcohol, you should be allowed to. Currently, because of limits like operating hours, it\u2019s really restrictive [to run an on-licence]. I am concerned about alcohol harm, but a lot of it doesn\u2019t happen in a supervised bar \u2013 most of that occurs in the home, and that\u2019s where we should be targeting alcohol harm concerns, not those wanting to run a business.<\/p>\n What qualities make a good drinking partner?<\/p>\n You need to have good banter, and you need to be up for a dance. No man left behind is also my thing, not a person who\u2019s like \u201coh, I\u2019m going to toilet\u201d and leaving me with some guy who\u2019s hitting on me. A good drinking partner makes sure everyone is safe, and everybody\u2019s getting home.<\/p>\n Have you ever had a Schnapps election moment where you regretted your political instinct?<\/p>\n It would probably be allowing Simon Court<\/a> onto the social services and community select committee \u2013 but with the best intentions, because he was actually doing a good deed. One of the other committee members was having a rough time, and I said, look, Simon\u2019s got some space, let\u2019s sub him on for the afternoon.<\/p>\n The thing about Simon, he\u2019s quite black and white, and he had heard about menstrual cups<\/a> and how great they were, and thought he was doing a good thing. But it just came across so wrong, and had I known how much comms risk potential Simon would be, I may have not let him do a good deed, and I certainly wouldn\u2019t have let him have a question.<\/p>\nAct MP Laura McClure presented a pornographic deepfake of herself to the House in May (photo: Act Party).<\/p>\n