Hughes Darren: Families Commission Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Procedure 
Hughes Darren: Families Commission Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:614;Page:10292] 
DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) 
: 
 I move  
That the question be now put 
. 
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) 
: 
 In response to the speeches made by United Future members I say that if this bill is a result of their vision they should start praying for blindness. This bill is a disgrace and not one claim that any of the United Future members have made about it can be substantiated upon reading it. I do not know how Mr Adams can tell me that I should read the bill and conclude that his view of it is the way it is. I think that a new title of this bill should be “Family (Includes a Group of People Related by Marriage Blood Adoption or an Extended Family or Two or More Persons Living Together as a Family a Whanau or Another Culturally Recognised Family Group) Bill”. Quite frankly that means that anybody at all living in the nature of a marriage could claim that he or she is a family. That is what the United Future party has delivered for its constituency. 
What do those members really think when they look at the Supplementary Order Paper that has been laid on the Table today setting out of some of the duties of the commission under international obligations? Page 3 of the bill states that the commission must have regard to a range of matters. I do not think that this commission will have any autonomy at all. The bill should be referred to as the “Throw a Fish to the United Party Bill”. That is all it is. It is a few baubles or perhaps a better way to put it would be 30-odd pieces of silver thrown to a group of people who constantly run around the countryside pretending that they have the moral high ground on everyone else in this House and then turn out to be the emperor with no clothes when it comes to a bill like this. 
It is an absolute disgrace that we are wasting Parliament’s time debating a bill and its title when it is abundantly clear that the commission itself will not be able to do anything outside of any law written in this country. It cannot make a recommendation without referring first to the appropriate Government agency responsible and must give all sorts of credence to various groups that might or might not have an interest in the family. Perhaps the bill should have been called the bill that requires the commission to consult groups that represent families or family members and groups that have a particular interest in families or in any one or more matters relating the commission’s functions—for example groups that represent parents mothers fathers children or young persons men women social service providers academics researchers family law specialists employers–and here is the kicker—or workers. 
I think that most people in this country could probably identify themselves with one of those descriptives. We will have a commission that has to give equal weight to the views of all manner of radical groups in this country simply because United Future has agreed that they fit the definition of families. I suggest that the bill might have been better called “We Wish They Had Never Started On It Bill” because quite frankly families will become weakened as a result of the commission’s work. 
If those members over there want any sort of analogy as to why I think that might happen they should look at other commissions that operate in this country. Very few of them stay out of trouble. Very few of them achieve what they should achieve. I will not go into any great detail in my 5 minutes on the title but I ask members to look at other commissions and statements made by commissioners in this country compare their legislation with this legislation and then ask themselves whether they have done well by their constituents. They have not. This bill is a total sham and perhaps should be called “Families Commission Sham Bill”. I cannot see one thing in the bill that will lead to the strengthening of New Zealand families who are the backbone of this country.