Ghahraman GolrizGOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN (Green): Thank you Mr Speaker. I'd like to begin by congratulating the Minister Kiri Allan Tapu—or the Hon Kiri Allan Tapu—for bringing this bill. Sorry! I've just been corrected. I'm just very excited.I was in the justice system and like the speaker from the Labour caucus—Vanushi Walters who's just resumed her seat—worked on children's rights for much of my legal career. We together were in part involved in putting forward New Zealand's non-governmental report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. I remember when the National Party policies that impacted the Family Court came into effect and the absolute heartbreak—on behalf of children and young people on behalf of families who needed access to justice—but also the absolute embarrassment of standing up in front of the United Nations' human rights body and saying that a nation that can well afford rights for our citizens that is well aware of their rights is going to cut those ad hoc.So I want to contrast the merits of this bill which actually hastens access to justice extends the right to justice and access to expert carers for our children like lawyer for child to the speech of the Hon Judith Collins who was the last speaker from the National Party caucus who when she was the Minister of Justice and I sat on the Criminal Bar Association executive was taken to court in relation to her legal aid policy all the way up to the Court of Appeal. That policy was found to be unlawful. It was found to be unlawful because the Minister had gone outside of the mandate of the discretion provided by the legislation the empowering legislation for legal aid which said that legal aid policy must be made only to provide high-quality legal services for indigent accused. It was found that that Government's policy on legal aid was made for cost-cutting only. That's not good for the nation it's not good for access to justice for New Zealanders and when it comes to the Family Court it's deeply harmful to children.So we're repairing a little bit of that today with this technical bill. I am glad to see that the role of Family Court judges is protected to some extent and that we're not just hastening the process although access to justice in a timely fashion is incredibly important. I do note that we're providing a broad discretion for Family Court Associates to actually do the work that's needed in the Family Court to ensure that disputes are resolved in a way that that doesn't delay things—because they are delayed; our justice system is so delayed as to be in breach of all sorts of rights to access to justice—but that we are actually preserving rights as well. So we're preserving and remunerating the lawyer for child in a better way. We're preserving the Family Court judges' role in terms of making final decisions on issues that materially impact children and young people. But we're saying actually most people that come through the Family Court need a resolution that's fair and just and timely and that we're not going to cost-cut in an area that's so fundamental to our democracy and to our human rights - based system of justice. So I do commend this bill to the House.