Wong Pansy: Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Wong Pansy: Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Sitting date: 14 December 2004. Volume:622;Page:17884. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
PANSY WONG (National) 
: 
 Part 3 separates the various entities into five categories. In clause 48(1)(a) under “statutory entities” we have types of entities that are known as autonomous Crown entities versus independent Crown entities. Autonomous Crown entities must have regard to Government policy when directed by the responsible Minister whereas independent Crown entities are generally independent of Government policy. I looked at schedule 5 to see what type of entity came under the autonomous category and what type came under the independent category and I had some questions I want answered. 
I invite the Minister to take a call and explain why the Families Commission is classified under autonomous Crown entities whereas the Children’s Commissioner is classified under independent Crown entities. I was very relieved to read that the Children’s Commissioner is classified as an independent Crown entity because that means it is independent of this Labour Government’s direction in policy matters but it is quite frightening that the Families Commission is classified as an autonomous Crown entity which means that it has to pay regard to Government policy. We all know what the Labour Government’s definitions of “family” can mean. We were told at one stage and I am not sure whether it has changed that gang members can be classified as “family” or people who are perceived to have an attachment. So the definition of “family” according to the Labour Government’s vocabulary is a very strange concept that is nowhere near what the average New Zealander would consider a family to be. 
The Minister should take a call and demonstrate to us that robust analysis has been applied to classifying those various entities into the right category. How can the Families Commission be categorised differently from the Children’s Commissioner? I think that only the Labour Government does not consider that “family” and “children” logically belong in the same category. If it is good enough for the Children’s Commissioner to become an independent Crown entity but not the Families Commission does that mean the Government does not have confidence in the Families Commission? On second thoughts maybe the Labour Government has no confidence that the Families Commission will follow Government policy in light of the fact that the creation of the Families Commission was a condition of its securing the support of United Future. Maybe my colleagues in United Future will take a call and explain whether they are comfortable that the Families Commission is having to pay respect to the Labour Government’s policy on families. I wonder what type of family it has in mind. 
I point out that the school boards of trustees came before the Finance and Expenditure Committee and said they were very worried about the level of reporting requirement that might be imposed on these volunteers—on members of school boards of trustees. The officials reassured them that they would not be subject to very onerous requirements in terms of reporting. But then I turn to schedule 6A and 6B—