Fenton Darien: Medicines Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Fenton Darien: Medicines Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:614. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
DARIEN FENTON (Labour) 
: 
 I am taking just a brief call to reiterate Labour’s support for the Medicines Amendment Bill to go to the Health Committee. I was interested in Shane Ardern’s contribution actually because he was the chair of the Government Administration Committee that considered the Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill back in 2006 and 2007 and I was actually the deputy chair. I remember those events very very well so I find it very interesting that we are now here considering a bill that actually had the preparation the foundation work done under the Labour Government.  
There were genuine concerns around the Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill at the time but they could have been overcome with a bit of genuine working together on it. But of course as we have heard from some of my colleagues there was a whole lot of politicking that went on from National—a whole lot of I think rarking up the public about opposition to anything Australian. That was what it was about. It was about people feeling you know that they did not trust any kind of treaty with the Australians even though we had actually signed up to this treaty in 2003 and it left our Government and it still does leave it in quite an embarrassing position.  
I am enjoying at the moment—and I probably should not say this—seeing the opposition to the Food Bill which the Hon Kate Wilkinson is having to deal with too. It reminds me of the same kind of opposition that came to the Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill—you know kind of extreme on the one hand and the Government trying to assure people that it is not as bad as they think it is. So there is this kind of “chickens coming home to roost” feeling about what is going on with the Food Bill.  
Just in talking about the Medicines Amendment Bill I think it is also worth reminding Parliament about where we were when Labour became the Government in 2000 around the costs of medicine. If you went to the pharmacy it would cost somebody $15 for one prescription—for one item on a prescription. It was $15 for one item if you had two it was $30 and if you had three it was $45. It was prohibitive and that had happened under the previous National Government. Of course what happened after we had gone through terrible economic times and lowering wages and all sorts of other things under the National Government was that many families could not afford the medicine. What was happening was people sometimes went to the doctor and got the prescription but they could not afford to go to the pharmacy and collect the prescription. So we had terrible things starting to occur in families where they could not get the basics. As we know medicines are often preventive as well as a cure but families were unable to get the preventative medicine that would stop something becoming quite chronic and sometimes stop people ending up in hospitals.  
I also smiled to myself today when I heard Tony Ryall talking about visiting the Porirua Union and Community Health Service. 
Charles Chauvel 
: To shut it down? 
DARIEN FENTON 
: Yes that is right—he probably went to shut it down. I did smile to myself about that because again the only reason that service exists is that it was a Labour initiative. The whole primary health organisation model that this Government now likes to gloat about actually came from all of the work done by Labour. Actually ironically it is not called the Porirua Union and Community Health Service for nothing; it was started by unions to provide health care for low-paid low-income workers at a time when they could not afford to see the doctor let alone go to their pharmacy. 
Hon Member 
: That’s because Labour cares. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: Yes. There is a long history here so I always find it very ironical when Tony Ryall and other people stand up and talk about all the wonderful things the Government is doing in health. Labour built the platform—Labour built a platform. We turned things round where it was becoming impossible. In fact do you remember what National did in the 1990s where there were cash registers at the hospitals? Somebody actually had to pay to be seen at the hospitals. 
Michael Woodhouse 
: Somebody does pay every single time. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: What was that? 
Michael Woodhouse 
: Somebody does pay every single time. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: But patients had to pay. Is the member advocating that we put the cash registers back? Is that what the member is advocating? He should tell us.  
Charles Chauvel 
: He used to sit behind one of them. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: Well that is true—of course he used to sit behind one of the cash registers. Just let us remember how far we have come in primary health care and medicine and in pharmacy care under a Labour Government. 
Andrew Little 
: That’s because Labour cares. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: And Labour does care; that is right. So that is why we find this bill pretty ironic. What we had in 2007 was a whole lot of politicking—convenient politicking—that went on from National which was nothing to do with what was good for New Zealand or the relationship with Australia; it was nothing to do with that at all. I sat on the select committee and I saw it happen; it was disgraceful. So I am pleased that this bill has come forward and will be going to a select committee but so much of the work was done under a Labour Government. So much could be already in train. That has not happened because of the politicking from National when Labour was in Government. 
 I also want to remind the House that the whole area of nurse practitioners was something else that Labour introduced. I sat on the Health Committee when that legislation was introduced and was then followed by regulations. I think it was one of the most innovative things we did because we all know that nurses are in the community and provide hands-on care and why should they not prescribe?  
But of course what we have is a health system under pressure. It is not just about what happens in the hospitals; it is about what happens in the community. What we are seeing is caregivers going on strike on Thursday morning because they get paid $13.61 an hour—11c more than the minimum wage. It is fine to talk about medicines and send this bill off to the select committee but we have got some issues that this country needs to deal with and this Government needs to deal with. This Government needs to start taking the issue seriously starting with those who care for our most vulnerable in our community.