Logie Jan; Rurawhe Adrian; Collins JudithDOMESTIC VIOLENCE—VICTIMS' PROTECTION BILLThird ReadingJAN LOGIE (Green): I move That the Domestic Violence—Victims' Protection Bill be now read a third time. I would like to dedicate my speech today to every victim of domestic violence who ever felt trapped and to every person who had an employee or workmate who was being abused and didn't know how to help.It's a great honour for me to be able to stand here today and welcome in this new era in our response to domestic violence. I want to thank Labour and New Zealand First for their support. The debate on this bill has made me more grateful than ever to New Zealand First for their decision to change the Government. It's really exciting to be part of a Government that wants to really get to the heart of the things that are holding us back as a country.In this beautiful gutsy vibrant country of ours police are called out to a family violence incident every four minutes and that's only about 20 to 25 percent of incidents. Around 230000 adults and many more children currently live in fear of their partner or parent. We have a problem and we will not solve this problem by continuing to focus all of our resources and efforts on what happens after the police have been called. The previous Government's stocktake on Government spending found that only 1.5 percent of our efforts and budgets go to prevention. Only 6.6 percent go to early intervention. We wait until things get really bad or someone is killed and then we wring our hands squeeze in another hospital bed and build another prison. No wonder gender-based violence has become entrenched. This bill is a commitment to early intervention and prevention.The impact of every workplace in Aotearoa saying The safety and well-being of our staff experiencing domestic violence is our business"—this challenges the fundamental social dynamic that has allowed this violence to flourish. Tonight we are changing social norms and making a commitment to a better future for all of us. Domestic violence isn't restricted to the home; it reaches into workplaces all over our country. Stalking constant emails attacks or threats in and outside of the workplace making her late or making her miss work altogether punishing her for being late—these are common tactics of abuse. They can be directed at the victim or the victims' workmates. They undermine the safety and productivity of our workplaces.All too often victims have to leave their jobs because of this and it makes them more reliant on their abusive partner and means their employer has to recruit and train up new staff. It's a lose-lose situation. Workmates or employers are often the only people who know about the violence but too many don't know how to help. It's pretty hard to flee the violence when your abuser knows when and where you work and can easily find you. That is a real risk and means some victims return to their abusers because at least they know where they are and feel they can manage the violence there. Not knowing how to manage this risk in our workplaces puts lives at risk.Then there's the situation of a victim who does manage to leave. We've heard from victims court staff and survivors themselves that existing leave provisions are sometimes not enough to be able to deal with the courts find a new house go to counselling or support their children dealing with trauma. It doesn't make sense to tell victims that we want them to leave and then force them into poverty when they do. Again employers lose great staff.Women's Refuge research showed that 60 percent of New Zealand women who'd been in a violent relationship were in full-time work before the relationship started but fewer than half managed to stay in work. Those who stayed faced numerous hardships affecting their future employment prospects and those who left found it difficult to re-enter the workforce. Respondents frequently spoke about being forced to quit or having their employment situations made untenable by the abuser.The need for improved flexible working arrangements additional leave and protection from discrimination is well-established. So the problem definition is clear and the appropriateness of this response has been tested in an ever-increasing number of businesses here and overseas. Yet we've been hearing from the Opposition that despite their commitment to tackling family violence they couldn't possibly support this bill because they say we're ignoring children it's too much to extend leave to support people businesses will fall over every victim will take 10 days' leave a year and it's a cost to business. It's become clear to me through this debate that many of the National Party members speaking on this bill have not even bothered to read it let alone the research that supports it.For any employers out there who are watching this debate I want you to know that the leave only applies to victims and people caring for children who are victims. It entitles victims to up to 10 days' leave a year and yet experience shows that most victims don't take that full 10 days. On this side of the House our debate has been founded on rigorous economic and social research from New Zealand and overseas grounded in the experiences of workplaces who are doing this already. What this research has found is that the initial cost of implementing these policies right across the country would be less than an annual wage increase in a bad year. That is rapidly offset from returns from lower staff turnover and increased productivity. So don't buy the lie that this will be a cost. This is a benefit. In Australia one of the largest advocates of these policies is the Retailers Association who represents many small and medium sized businesses.So we have a massive social problem measured in lives lost profound harm done and significant lost productivity to business. This bill is a win for victims a win for business and ultimately a win for all of us.It's been seven years to get here to today so I want to thank some of the individuals who have played a really important role in drafting advising and organising who may not have been visible: Lisa Close Eva Hartshorn-Sanders Ludo McFerran Jeff Sissons Marie Retimanu-Pule Jessie Dennis Tara Ford Whetū Kura-Bennett Heather McDonald Claire Lyons and Stephanie Rodgers. Thank you for your work. And of course to acknowledge the New Zealand Public Service Association who started championing this cause back in 2011 and all the other unions—FIRST Union E tū Post Primary Teachers' Association and New Zealand Nurses Organisation—who have been putting these policies on the bargaining table for years now.It's been wonderful to see Countdown The Warehouse Vodafone New Zealand Ltd ANZ and so many other businesses following that lead and doing this of their own will and of course Shine and Women's Refuge who have been supporting these businesses to do this work. Suzanne Snively's done the New Zealand economic modelling to show the benefits National Council of Women of New Zealand Zonta International BPW and of course our amazing champion the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Jackie Blue for bringing businesses together to develop resources to make this easy for other businesses.All of these groups businesses and people get that we are in this together that domestic violence is something that we all have a stake in reducing. That is the context of this bill. That is the tide of history. Today we will become the first country in the world to provide these protections as universal entitlements. Today we stand for a future free of domestic violence.Mā whero mā pango mā kākariki ka oti ai te mahi. [With red black and green the work will be completed.]ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): The question is that the motion be agreed to. I call the Hon Judith Collins.WaiataHon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura): Thank you very much Mr Assistant Speaker. I trust Mr Assistant Speaker that's not coming off my time. Thank you very much.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): We'll start the clock again—I call the Hon Judith Collins."