Sowry Roger: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Sowry Roger: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:616;Page:12044] 
4.  
Hon ROGER SOWRY (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Labour 
: Is the Government currently considering any changes to the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill; if so what are the details of those changes? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN (Minister of Labour) 
: 
 The Employment Relations Law Reform Bill is currently before the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee. I will consider any changes the committee recommends in due course. In the meantime I am meeting with employer and employee representatives to discuss the issues arising from the bill. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: What changes to the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill was his colleague the Minister for Small Business the Hon John Tamihere referring to when he told the  
National Business Review 
 last week: “… we’ll see what Swainey and the boys can get up to now the girl’s out of the way for a little while … when ERA Bill gets reported back.”; and has he had any discussions with the Prime Minister the Minister for Small Business Mr Tamihere and the previous Minister of Labour Margaret Wilson regarding those comments? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The second part of the question is in order. The first part relates to what another Minister might have done but the member may comment. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was very carefully worded and I am happy to repeat the wording for you. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Did the member say “reports”? 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: I asked what changes he thought the Minister for Small Business Mr Tamihere was referring to when he said in the  
National Business Review 
: “… we’ll see what Swainey”—which I presume is the Minister—“and the boys can get up to now the girl’s out of the way for a little while”— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will allow the Minister to answer the question. 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Yes I have seen the comments from the Minister for Small Business. I can advise that some of the first changes that “Swainey and the boys and the girls” may well be looking at are the provisions relating to vulnerable workers given that the Minister for Small Business’s name may well be added to the schedule following his comments last week. 
Peter Brown 
: Is the Minister aware that Lianne Dalziel implied to submitters in Christchurch last week that clauses that the Council of Trade Unions objected to are likely to be withdrawn; couple that with the Hon John Tamihere’s remarks why does the Minister not pull the bill now and put the whole thing to rest? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I am not aware of those comments because I clearly was not at the meeting. I am waiting to hear the report from the select committee which I understand is due to report back in June. 
Sue Bradford 
: Will the Minister consider changes to the bill that take into account the recommendations of the employment equity taskforce once it reports back and when is that report-back due? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I assume that is another matter that will be considered by the select committee and I will look at its recommendations in due course. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: Is the Minister prepared to guarantee now that there will at least be major substantive changes to the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill or its total withdrawal in light of statements made by his colleague the Hon John Tamihere about the Government being “all ears” on the bill and about “the overwhelming weight of displeasure being displayed with the bill” by submitters to the select committee? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: No. Firstly the bill will not be withdrawn but I sat on select committees for 9 years and I do not recall one single bill coming back to this House without some form of change. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: Will the Minister be asking the Ministry of Economic Development to release the reports it produced on the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill given the statement made by his colleague the Hon John Tamihere that “When the OIAs come through you’ll see a whole range of issues that were on the table.”; if not why not? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I presume that when Official Information Act requests come through they will be released according to the Act. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question actually asked whether the Minister would seek the release of those reports because those Official Information Act requests have come through—well outside the time frame now—and we are told that the Minister is the person who is holding them up. 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Speaking to the point of order I am happy to look into the matter on behalf of the member but I do not recall that. If Official Information Act requests are done according to the provisions of the Act then the release has to meet the provisions of the Act. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That seems to clear up the matter for the member.