Brownlee Gerry: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Brownlee Gerry: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3687] 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Economic Development) 
: 
 Now we understand what the deal is. It is right that yesterday clause 36 was taken out of the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill. It was set aside because that matter will be dealt with in a successive bill. Two further bills will be dealt with before the Auckland Council is established. [ 
Interruption 
] If members would just calm down I will explain it all to them. 
Firstly it is worth noting that this particular part new Part 12 refers to the transfer of remaining employees. These are employees who are not part of the transition in the initial stages. It is important that they are protected. National understands that. Labour members wanted to muck around so much with the bill that they put up 8000 amendments to this particular part. That is utterly absurd. National has said: “All right a select committee can deal with this and it will be included in a successive bill that deals with the Auckland transition arrangements.” The members opposite know that is how this works. Even today they are putting up their own little part and then they want to amend it. Here we have an exceptionally confused Opposition engaging in mock outrage over the employees of these organisations when the harsh reality is that the Government is well aware of the issues and is doing the right things to ensure those protections are there. 
No one can contract out of employment obligations put in the law. Opposition members can wave all the bits of paper they like and they can get as excited as they like but they are simply wrong. So we have the absurd situation of Moana Mackey asking what harm there was in putting this provision in the bill. That is like asking why the 50 kilometre per hour rule should not go in the bill or why all the pedestrian rules should not go into the bill. That is like asking why a raft of other civil matters that are part of legislation should not be included in the bill or why everything on the statute book should not be included. The reality is that that is an absurdity. When the law applies it applies and one cannot contract out of it. 
Our friends on the other side of the Chamber are as confused as ever. I would love to know—and here is the real question—what is so wrong with a select committee considering this issue because that is what Labour is now opposed to. National has said that a select committee should consider this matter. We have taken the provision out of the bill so that a select committee can consider it. Mr Hide has said there is an issue here and we will remove it from this bill. Labour members have put up 8000 objections to protecting workers so the Government will let the select committee decide which of those amendments are valid and which are not. Then Labour comes back today and starts putting into the bill another part—another couple of hours of Parliament wasting its time—to put in place a law that already exists. I hope Labour members recognise that it is time to get off this silly course and to let this part be dealt with. They can bring in their 20000 amendments that they claim they have sitting in the back room and Parliament can once again go into this farcical situation of voting down the nonsensical halfwitted thoughts of Labour members. 
I will make it abundantly clear that in the action the Government has taken there is no intention to remove from this bill the protections for employees who will be left over after the transfer—far from it. National wants a select committee to consider what is right and fair. Why does Labour oppose that? 
Grant Robertson 
: Send the whole bill to the select committee. 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: If Labour members oppose the whole bill why are they so hell-bent on changing it from top to bottom with the raft of ridiculous amendments that we are seeing? The trivial pursuit exercise that the Labour members are engaged in is a great tribute to the Labour research unit. There is no doubt about it. The members of the unit are clearly the brains of the Labour Party. Labour does not put its brains up front; it puts its beautiful people up front. And that must also call into question the quality of the brains that back up Labour members. It is with considerable regret that the Government will not be supporting this part. It is utterly ridiculous and it is completely stupid.