Twyford PhilREGULATORY SYSTEMS (ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT) AMENDMENT (NO 2) BILLREGULATORY SYSTEMS (WORKFORCE) AMENDMENT BILL (NO 2)REGULATORY SYSTEMS (HOUSING) AMENDMENT BILL (NO 2)Second ReadingsHon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister for Economic Development): I move That the Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment (No 2) Bill the Regulatory Systems (Workforce) Amendment Bill (No 2) and the Regulatory Systems (Housing) Amendment Bill (No 2) be now read a second time.The three regulatory systems amendment bills are omnibus bills that contain small regulatory amendments to legislation administered by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. The Government is committed to maintaining and updating existing legislation to respond to changing environments and citizen needs. Regulation when implemented well underpins markets protects the rights and safety of citizens and their property and assists with the efficient and equitable delivery of goods and services. Regulation is an important tool for preserving and advancing the public interest.The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment (No 2) Bill makes amendments to 14 Acts. Among these are the Companies Act 1993 the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 the Insolvency Act 2006 and the Trade Marks Act 2002. Of the 14 Acts in this bill 13 fall within the commerce and consumer affairs portfolio while the Continental Shelf Act 1964 falls within the energy and resources portfolio.I would like to briefly mention two of the more significant amendments in this bill. The first is an extension to the offences listed in the Companies Act which automatically prohibit a person from directing or managing a company for five years. The bill seeks to add two additional types of offences to this list—namely evasions or similar offences under section 143A and 143B of the Tax Administration Act 1994 for evasion and similar actions along with aiding abetting inciting or conspiring with another person to commit such offences as set out in section 148 of that Act.The second amendment is to the Insolvency Act. Currently that Act prohibits an undischarged bankrupt from either directly or indirectly managing or controlling a business being employed by a relative or being employed by an entity such as a company or a trust owned or controlled by a relative. This is to prevent a bankrupt from having sufficient control over the finances of a business during their bankruptcy. However an undischarged bankrupt who works for a relative with no remuneration is not considered as employed and can therefore avoid these restrictions. This bill seeks to extend the restrictions on employment to include working without reward for a relative or for an entity owned or controlled by a relative.The Regulatory Systems (Housing) Amendment Bill (No 2) includes two parts. Part 1 serves to simplify the role of the Community Housing Regulatory Authority and reduces the administrative burden on registered community housing providers. Part 2 amends the Retirement Villages Act 2003 to clarify that the higher maximum fine will apply for breaches of the Act where an operator or promoter of a retirement village did not take all the practicable steps to ensure that an advertisement was not misleading or deceptive or where an operator of a retirement village contravenes the obligations relating to the code of practice of operating a retirement village. The code of practice sets out the rights and obligations of retirement village operators and residents and it's important that the operators understand the consequences of breaching the code and that the registrar has clarity when detecting such breaches and offences under the Act. Both of these offences are of a serious nature and are similar to the other offences that currently receive the higher maximum fine.In the Regulatory Systems (Workforce) Amendment Bill (No 2) I want to pick up on the changes that relate to the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act. This bill addresses an obvious gap between the intent of the parental leave scheme and the legislation whereby spouses or partners are treated differently to other types of primary carers in a similar situation—for example adoptive parents. The situation may arise if the working spouse or partner becomes primarily responsible for the care of the newborn and the biological mother is ineligible for or hasn't applied for parental leave payments. This situation could arise for example if the biological mother dies or has a disability following an accident. The spouse or partner currently would not be entitled to parental leave payments. I share the Prime Minister's concern for families in these situations particularly as they are likely to be in great need after losing the support of one parent. This small fix will have minimal impact on the regulatory system overall yet will offer important benefits for these families. Partners and spouses in these situations will be able to access parental leave payments if otherwise eligible that contribute to their family's income stability and the health of the young child and enable them to maintain a connection to the workforce.I would like to thank the three select committees for their consideration of these bills. The committees have considered changes to 19 statutes and reflected on submissions covering quite technical and detailed information. I commend the Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment (No 2) Bill the Regulatory Systems (Housing) Amendment Bill (No 2) and the Regulatory Systems (Workforce) Amendment Bill (No 2) to the House.