Gosche Mark: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Gosche Mark: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:631;Page:2860] 
Hon MARK GOSCHE (Labour—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 I will just take a brief call as the chair of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee to thank the other members of the committee for the good work they did. Listening to the debate I am a little confused. It sort of sounds like this is National legislation and we should ask permission as to whether we can support it. It is somewhat amusing. I congratulate Bob Clarkson on making that very fine speech and giving us the benefit— 
Darren Hughes 
: His maiden speech. 
Hon MARK GOSCHE 
: I think it was his second maiden speech. I say well done to Bob. As a member of the select committee Bob quite often said he was confused about this bill. He was not alone on that side of the table as we have experienced today. Some committee members might not have been aware that the officials told them that the Supplementary Order Paper would be put forward. I can recall the officials telling them that. I say to those new members that it is quite useful to get up out of one’s seat come to the Table before these debates happen and read the Supplementary Order Papers which take care of the concerns of submitters and the select committees. It is a good exercise in learning so that one does not make a fool of oneself by getting up and making a speech that is clearly designed to filibuster on a bill that everybody supports. Why are National Party members holding up this legislation when those self-employed people whom they pretend to want to represent can get it quicker? Why are they wasting the time of the Committee by holding up the debate with endless stupid speeches? Those members are in favour of this bill. What are they going on about? Why do they not just use the wisdom of Bob Clarkson and say nothing? They should not waste the time of the Committee by making speeches that claim that this is National Party legislation as Mr Bennett did. 
For goodness’ sake the National Party has opposed paid parental leave in every form it has taken before this Parliament except for this one. Why is that? It is because as with so many other things those members have finally woken up to the fact that this Government has some progressive policies that help every New Zealander out there who is in either employment or self-employment. Finally those members have seen the light and have decided to support this very good bill. 
I thank the Minister Ruth Dyson for the good work she has done. It is ongoing work—if we read the commentary on the bill we see that there is more yet to be done. I am looking forward to National members supporting the next round of amendments to this bill. It will be interesting to see whether they support the bill then. Future amendments will see more benefits go to working people and I will be very interested to see whether the select committee that I chair supports those. Those select committee members from the National Party have said they want further amendments and we want them to make sure that they remember when we get to the next iteration of this legislation—when we extend it to some more people—that they said those things in the commentary and in this Chamber. 
It is no good for them to say that they support this bill in principle because it is for self-employed people; I want to see them to support it for all workers in this country. We will be watching the next lot with great interest to see whether they support those extensions to the bill and to the law. 
Anyway I thank the select committee members who have been forced by their whips to come here to make silly speeches. In the select committee they were quite sensible and they learnt some things as they went along. I hope to be able to guide them further in that select committee when we look at many more good pieces of progressive legislation along the lines of this one.