Hutchison Paul: New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill Mental Health Commission Amendment Bill Charities Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Readings 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hutchison Paul: New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill Mental Health Commission Amendment Bill Charities Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Readings 
[Sitting date: 30 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2731. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Hunua) 
: 
 Talofa lava Mr Speaker. It is a pleasure to speak on these three bills the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill the Mental Health Commission Amendment Bill and the Charities Amendment Bill (No 2) all of whose genesis emanates from the Crown Entities Reform Bill from which this debate started. I was heartened to hear the Hon Ruth Dyson mention how well the Government Administration Committee functioned even though there was slight disagreement on the third-mentioned bill. Ruth Dyson did say that there was considerable enthusiasm for the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill and I am very glad to hear that. But I think it is important that she does understand what this is all about. It is all about improving financial efficiency and effectiveness and increasing the future viability of these agencies.  
There is absolutely no doubt that making every dollar count in this current environment is absolutely vital. We find so often that those on the other side of the House tend to just forget about it. There is no question that in the area of health we saw the health budget double over 9 long arduous years for very little gain. Money was sprinkled all over the place for very little gain and that is why it is so important that this excellent National Government does concentrate on making every dollar count.  
I did like the line from Dr Cam Calder that the National-led Government is not about growing the Public Service but about growing services to the public. This means more front-line service delivery and more efficient back-office services. Today at the Health Committee I was very impressed to hear Dr Lester Levy Chief Executive Officer of the Waitemata District Health Board and the Auckland District Health Board recount how effectively back-office services had been used with focus on increasingly effective and efficient front-line services. I also had a briefing from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise today and it is doing a similar sort of thing. Right throughout the Government service this excellent National Government is concentrating on extra efficiency and effectiveness.  
I was interested to hear Kevin Hague say that it is often very difficult to see the benefit of structural change. That is so. It has always been of huge concern to me the massive structural change that occurred in 1999—well a few years after 1999—when the Labour Government decided to absolutely restructure the health system. It is very hard to see as Mr Hague pointed out where the gains have come. It has really been only in the last 4 years that we have seen significant gains in the health sector under the excellent leadership of Tony Ryall. The establishment of a new Health Promotion Agency is something very much dear to my heart and again as Mr Hague pointed out he very much hopes to see this as the engine that drives positive changes. I am sure it will be.  
Back in 1999 the advice to the incoming Minister of Health was that the greatest gains in health would come from health promotion disease prevention and the integration of primary and secondary health. That is hugely important and it is being very much worked on by this excellent National Government whereas there had certainly been a large gap in the previous 9 years.  
Again I did take note of the Hon Ruth Dyson when she mentioned the great concern about mental health in the 1990s and the fact that the leaders of the major parties agreed that this was an area that had to be sorted out—hence the Mason inquiry hence the blueprint and hence the ring-fencing of the funding. Consequently it is important to acknowledge the work of the Mental Health Commission over the years. I am sure that in the future it will function very well in the Health and Disability Commissioner’s office. The Alcohol Advisory Council will be independent. Its evidence-based advisory function is retained within the new health promotion entity and alcohol harm reduction programmes will continue to be funded through a levy on alcohol consumption. As well as that some of the $7.7 million of existing health promotion activity in the Ministry of Health will transfer to the new health promotion entity and work is continuing on confirming the programmes to transfer and the appropriate transition of those programmes. Indeed it is all good in terms of these three bills.  
I want to finish off by just pointing out that in the commentary on the Crown Entities Reform Bill in terms of the review of the Charities Act 2005 the strong view of Government members was that transferring the commission’s current functions to the Department of Internal Affairs will create a more robust resilient agency and they endorse the intention to do so now rather than after the review of the Charities Act. Fa‘afetai tele lava. 
New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill read a third time.