Turner Judy: Disability (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Turner Judy: Disability (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Sitting date: 02 September 2008. Volume:649;Page:18334. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JUDY TURNER (Deputy Leader—United Future) 
: 
 I stand on behalf of United Future to speak in support of the Disability (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Bill. United Future does not enjoy representation on the select committee that heard the submissions but I have no doubt that they were robust and passionate. What I celebrate in this bill is the fact that people will finally have an opportunity to participate in governance options based on their individual merit and will no longer be blocked from participation because they fit into a particular category of person. I think there are some exciting opportunities that will come off the back of that. For instance there are organisations like school boards of trustees and tertiary institution councils and there are opportunities to serve on juries local authorities Maori Trust Boards boards of directors the New Zealand Council for Educational Research scholarship boards licensing trusts—the list goes on and on. A famous pop song came out a few years ago where the songwriter encouraged people to get physical. I would suggest that one of the consequences of this bill passing in the House is that people from the disabilities sector can now be encouraged to get political.  
Some of the areas in New Zealand where we still want to see a much better connect between policy and practice will be better facilitated when people with disabilities are able to serve on boards of trustees without question similar to what has happened previously with tertiary institution councils and local authorities. Frustration has been expressed by people around transport issues for instance and there has been a feeling that sometimes certain bodies are slow to take up their responsibilities to ensure the active participation of people with disabilities and to pull down those barriers that exclude participation. People will no longer be able to be do this without having to sit across the table from somebody who lives day in and day out with that barrier and they will have to continue to oppose it or neglect it while eyeballing that person across the table. I think that is an extremely good thing and I encourage the ongoing development of further participation by people within the sector. 
I was really interested to note that one of the Justice and Electoral Committee’s considerations was the financial cost of implementing the bill. United Future believes that every change will cost us and any change that does not cost us is probably not worth the paper it is written on. Of course this bill will cost—it should cost. United Future is less concerned about that aspect than obviously some members of the select committee are.  
One of the great things is that this ratification will increase the scrutiny of compliance with obligations by both the private sector and the public sector. The select committee noted in its report that it considers it “imperative that organisations companies and institutions should consider the convention when any pertinent changes are being made or policies are being developed to avoid having to make changes to comply retrospectively.” I think the great thing about what this bill does tonight is that from hereon in we should not be constantly having to retrospectively apply new gains for this sector and that those in the sector should start to see in a much more proactive way their needs for inclusion considered right at the beginning of every new issue as it comes before both national government and local bodies.  
United Future does not want to prolong this but we are very excited. We congratulate the Minister on ensuring that this bill is passed by 3 October for all the good things that come off the back of it and we congratulate and thank all the people from the Disabled Persons Assembly for being here to oversee tonight’s proceedings.