Mitchell Clayton: Immigration Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMitchell Clayton: Immigration Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Reading[Sitting date: 30 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:3098. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First):I am going to try my hardest to keep my level down because it is a very emotive subject and we have seen a lot of passion in the House so far today from people talking about this very important subject. I do not think there is anybody in this House who would not agree that we have a major problem in New Zealand at the moment and potentially in the future if something is not done about the issue of temporary migrant workers and the exploitation of workers.I want to make very very clear what the Minister of Immigration’s comments were when he opened up his statement. He said that this bill is fit for purpose. I have to ask whose purpose it is fit for and I have to question some of the patriotism when we talk about the purpose of looking after New Zealand and New Zealanders first and foremost. However he did come back quite nicely and say that he understands New Zealand First’s point of view—New Zealand First has a very very strong immigration policy and we have a strong view on immigration. It was a bit tongue in cheek there because I know he was not saying that in a positive way; he was trying to make it negative. He mentioned Christchurch quite openly using Christchurch as an example of where we have got the temporary migrant workers we need. This is absolutely 100 percent in line with New Zealand First policy.New Zealand First’s policy in our manifesto says that immigration is about the people we need not the people who need us. We need those workers who are down there in Christchurch. We need those skilled labourers those skilled workers because we do not have enough of the skills that are required to rebuild one of New Zealand’s most important cities. But I challenge the Minister to come up with another area another location or another workplace that needs the sorts of numbers of temporary migrant workers who are flooding New Zealand’s workforce. I cannot think of another one. Absolutely Christchurch needs that—[Interruption] Sorry Mr Bridges?Hon Simon Bridges: Bay of Plenty.CLAYTON MITCHELL: Bay of Plenty with our kiwifruit workers? You must be living on a different planet. That does not make any sense whatsoever. It makes no sense at all. When we have 143000 New Zealanders looking for work we should be doing more to get those people skilled and into our workforce because the money that is coming in—I am just trying to get my level down trying to calm down; I was getting to another level you see. We are getting ourselves into a situation where we are getting these people from overseas they are working here for a short amount of time and then they are heading back taking that money away.Another member earlier on mentioned the temporary migrant worker visa for students. What a great subject that is to bring up because at the end of the day we are exporting our education system which is a very sound policy to be doing. We have been doing it for years encouraging people to come to this great country and get a good education because they are people we need. They are bringing wealth to our country. It is a zero-sum gain when we then go out and give them—a hundred thousand of them—employment to cover themselves off while they are studying here. Where is the benefit for New Zealand? What about our New Zealand students who are struggling on a daily basis to get ahead and to pay their school fees which are rocketing? They are borrowing more money to keep themselves afloat and get themselves skilled and get themselves educated. This Government is not doing anything to address that issue by allowing that to happen.I want to talk about our kiwifruit workers. Why do we not bring in a situation where we are encouraging our unemployed people to get in and be part of the workforce—with a community wage where you cannot just receive the benefit; you have got to be part of the community and work for that benefit? Now all of a sudden that is a huge incentive.Hon Simon Bridges: You go talk to the kiwifruit growers. You see whether they like that policy.CLAYTON MITCHELL: Mr Assistant Speaker I have to say that I think Mr Bridges is trying to be charming and it is not working.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! Sorry I probably should have interrupted Mr Bridges not for his interjections generally because they are fine but for referring to me repeatedly. Mr Mitchell.CLAYTON MITCHELL: Mr Assistant Speaker thank you very much. Referring back to the Immigration Amendment Bill (No 2) I would just like to read a couple of points. This bill would it says here—in the commentary on the bill; the bill as reported from the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee—“give temporary migrant workers the same protection from exploitation that illegal workers currently have under the Act.” Wow we actually give illegal migrant workers protection under the Act.Secondly it says here that it would “make liable for deportation employers who are residence class visa holders if they are convicted of exploiting migrant workers or knowingly employing migrant workers without work rights”. If we had an amnesty clause put into that that might make some sort of sense but you are asking these exploited migrant workers to go and whistle-blow on their temporary employers and there is no incentive for them to be able remain in their work or relocate to new work. So all of the sudden this is not working. This Government has not listened to the submissions that have been made to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee and it is not listening to the outcome that we are trying to put forward here.We would be somewhat supportive of this sort of legislation if it actually addressed the problem at the source. If there was a leak in a dam and it was starting to grow and then that leak turned into a crack and the crack turned into a major breach the water would flow down and gouge away the land. Any sane person would agree that you would not start trying to fix the land at the bottom; you would fix the dam at the top and stop the leaking. There is nothing in this legislation that stops the problem at the source.We are talking about tightening up on our immigration laws. What interests me the most is the fact that these temporary migrant workers are being exploited by their own people. Just recently we read in the newspaper that the Masala restaurant chain was fined for exploiting migrant workers. They were exploiting their own people. The exploitation of skilled migrant workers was also raised as an issue. The people in Christchurch the skilled migrant labour that we have got down there are not being exploited. They are being well remunerated and well looked after for the jobs that they are doing. The exploitation is in respect of those unskilled workers—kiwifruit workers pickers and packers in our fruit industry. There is exploitation there.Just recently I got some information sent through to me with regard to the Rena in the Hawkes Bay. Mr Bridges you will be well aware of the Rena but you might not be well aware of this information because of course you might not be in touch with those people. But the reality is that eight New Zealand workers who have been working on the Rena for up to 3½ to 4 years have all lost their jobs in the last 2 weeks. Eight New Zealanders have lost their jobs in the last 2 weeks after working on the Rena for 3 to 4 years. Why? Because they have been replaced by temporary migrant workers. That is right. They have been replaced by six people from Indonesia and two people from India. Why? Because those people are being paid sub-conditional wages. They are trying to undercut the value of New Zealand workers.We do not support increasing employer dependence on cheap migrant labour to the detriment of New Zealand but that is what is going on. You are not getting to the source of the problem by heading it off at the pass. Anybody would understand that if you want to control your room you have to control the doorway to your room. This is not being done and this legislation does not do anything about doing it. Weak labour market testing is also a major problem and we have also got some serious issues with the black market bypass of the Inland Revenue Department.A lot of these people are using these temporary migrant visas as a way to cut the loopholes to not pay their taxes. I can tell members about another case—and Mr Bridges you might be interested to know this too. Late last year we had some issues in the Bay of Plenty with those very same exploited temporary workers. It was promised that they would come to the land of milk and honey New Zealand and get great work—$15 to $17 an hour—and they were exploited by their own people. This problem is not a new problem. This problem has been going on for a very very long time. Mr Bridges you can look as if you are reading something more important and not listening to what we have to say about this but this issue affects the Bay of Plenty. In fact it affects all regions of New Zealand. I also saw in a newspaper an article that looked at the problem of Kiwis who lost their jobs over the Cricket World Cup.Hon Simon Bridges: What should we do about it?CLAYTON MITCHELL: Oh you are interested again. The Kiwis who lost their jobs over the debacle—Hon Simon Bridges: What should we do about it?CLAYTON MITCHELL: I am getting to the problem—and I have already told you what we need to do. You need to get to the source of the problem.Hon Simon Bridges: What’s the source?CLAYTON MITCHELL: Simon Bridges seriously as a Minister—the source is where they are entering. Come on! Well I tell you what; perhaps you could sit down and have a coffee with me. You once denied me that. You said I do not offer you anything. You asked what I could possibly offer you if you sat down with me. Well how about you have that coffee with me? Maybe you will change your mind because there is some rational thinking here. You have not thought this problem through and you are not interested in coming to talk to the people who have got some solutions. I put the challenge to you.Hon Simon Bridges: What’s the solution?CLAYTON MITCHELL: Well I have just given you a solution—stop the problem at the source. And come and have that coffee with me. [Interruption] I will tell you what. We have got all sorts of problems and the situation is mounting now. A total of 55000 people immigrated in March when last year it was 35000 people. In 2013 we had only 15000 migrants enter this country. We have got an explosive problem that needs to be fixed. Thank you.