Stanford EricaERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I rise to speak on the Education (National Education and Learning Priorities) Amendment Bill. Can I firstly congratulate Jan Tinetti for having her bill drawn. I just lodged a bill today so I'm hoping to be as successful as she's been and hopefully it's not 10 years before my bill gets drawn like Mr Tim Macindoe.I am going to find it exceptionally hard to speak for my full five minutes—the Government might find that pleasing to hear—because there really is not that much to talk about. Hon Member: You'll learn.ERICA STANFORD: Ha! So let me start by pointing out how badly this wastes the Parliament's time—Hon Member: No your guys will; they've got 10 minutes.ERICA STANFORD: Oh I was going to say something nice about him. I mean no offence to Jan Tinetti because she's a lovely woman and was a very good chair of the committee today a fellow newbie like me and I have nothing but admiration for her. I completely support the intentions of her bill: things like ensuring the diversity of our education system—great; providing learning experiences that support children and young people to reach their potential—right behind you; providing an aspirational vision for the future of New Zealanders—love it. I love that the Labour Party are focusing so much on providing an aspirational future for students whose charter schools they are closing out of ideological opposition—love it.This bill supposedly amends a couple of paragraphs explaining the objectives of the education system; it doesn't however offer anything in the way of actual substance. It's very hard for me to divine any kind of philosophical enlightenment or legislative horsepower from this two-page bill. Actually it alarms me this kind of education bill the Labour backbenchers are coming out with because it reiterates to me that this coalition Government is at a total loss for ideas when it comes to good education policy. They've got nothing constructive to offer unless it's throwing money at students for a first year free at university. This Government's worried about shutting down schools that are providing for disadvantaged young people but this bill is really just a stocking filler that was lucky to be drawn.One of my other concerns is that if this bill is passed it will just clog up the Education and Workforce Committee as Mr Tim Macindoe pointed out when their time could more valuably be used examining the removal of national standards and what's going to replace that and perhaps looking at charter schools. We will not be supporting this bill but I am looking forward to reading some of the other legislative inspirations that the Labour Party have yet to add to the members' bill ballot.Can I just say that one of the statements that this bill amends in section 1A(3)(b)(i) as set out in clause 4—it takes the phrase resilience determination confidence and creative and critical thinking" and replaces it with "resilience determination confidence creative and critical thinking and to become lifelong learners:". One of the things that Mr Fletcher Tabuteau said earlier in his contribution was that this bill would add more resilience to young learners so I'd actually suggest perhaps we add an extra word at the beginning of this to say "more resilience determination confidence creative and critical thinking and to become lifelong learners:" if we're just going to be really pedantic about it.Really this bill adds a few words; it changes a few things around. It's not of any substance. It's really wasting this Parliament's time. It's wasting the Education and Workforce Committee's time. While I congratulate Jan Tinetti for having her bill drawn—I know what it's like to go through putting something together and being nervous about having it put in there and then having it drawn and having to speak on it—really this is a stocking filler bill that is wasting our time changing a few words around. It has no particular substance and we will not be supporting it. Thank you."