Stewart Barbara: Disability (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Stewart Barbara: Disability (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 02 September 2008. Volume:649;Page:18331. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
: 
 On behalf of New Zealand First I am absolutely delighted to support the second reading of the Disability (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Bill. It is a very positive bill. I must say that we in New Zealand First are very sorry that we did not have a member on the Justice and Electoral Committee. Obviously we would have enjoyed hearing the submissions from the submitters. New Zealand First has to say that the efforts of the Minister for Disability Issues in this very important area and all of the work she has done to ensure that we are leaders on the world stage have to be acknowledged. Importantly the Minister has shown that she has consulted extensively with the disability sector in so much of her work in this particular area. We applaud her efforts. The winning of the prestigious Roosevelt award truly is recognition of the steps New Zealand has made. They are very important steps. 
The New Zealand Disability Strategy has been in place since 2001. We have to acknowledge the sector for all of the work it has done to ensure that the voices of people in the sector are heard in the decision-making process. That is a very big step forward and is very very necessary so I say thanks. We as politicians have been to many forums over the past few weeks to discuss our party policies in this particular area and we congratulate the sector on the work it has done to raise the awareness of all of us here in this House in order to ensure that its priorities are listened to and its needs are on the agenda of every political party in this House. I see many people from the sector up in the gallery and I thank them very much for that. It is very rare for a bill to receive unanimous support in this House. In addition the report from the select committee states that the bill was strongly supported by all of the submitters as well and that is very very positive. 
The report from the select committee states that the financial cost of implementing the convention that we have heard so much about tonight will be minimal and that any necessary increases in funding will be met by increases in the baseline funding of agencies already working to implement the New Zealand Disability Strategy. That is how it should be—a solid platform on which to build. In New Zealand First we are certain that with the level of support from all parties and the disability sector this bill is as right as it can be. Like the select committee we regard the UN convention as a very important step forward. The convention will complement the outcomes-oriented objectives of the New Zealand Disability Strategy by providing some much-needed practical advice on removing the barriers that prevent disabled people from enjoying rights on an equal basis with others. 
I was interested to read in the report that for New Zealand to participate in the first conference of party States the convention must be ratified by 3 October 2008—hence the need for urgency on this particular bill. We applaud the fact that this date will be met. I was also interested to read—and this is for the edification of the previous speaker—that the Justice and Electoral Committee urged the House to pass the bill as soon as possible thereby enabling ratification of the convention. So it was a move that had to be carried out. 
New Zealand First recognises the right of every New Zealander to equality of opportunity. The view of the disability sector that this bill ensures that this equality is recognised in law means that the support of New Zealand First for it is absolutely essential. Many of the previous provisions in the law were outdated and I must say that I was totally amazed at the discrimination in some of our laws. I read out some of those in my first reading speech. Those laws needed to be changed urgently and at last they will be changed. 
In conclusion New Zealand First supports this bill. We are pleased to see it proceeding rapidly through the House.