Jackson WillieHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. I mean after that load of nonsense are we meant to believe the National Party are the great advocates for women? Ha! Next minute you'll be the great advocates for workers and the great advocates for Māori. The sad part is that some of us in this House have advocated for women. I was part of the equal pay for work of equal value campaign in 1986. The Northern Clerical Workers Union as the Hon Andrew Little will know led the fight for equal pay for women while the National Party were doing their right-wing training for opposing women's rights. Now today you would—sorry Madam Deputy Speaker. The National Party would have us believe they are now the great advocates. It is an absolute joke the nonsense we're hearing tonight. Eight years of doing nothing.Hon Michael Woodhouse: We did it—you undid it.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: You did nothing. The National Party did nothing for eight years and then finally hello in election year Oh we'd better do something because there's an election coming up."Hon Ruth Dyson: And the court case said they had to.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Oh that's right there was a court decision. Ah that's right. We'll care about women in 2017 because we might just lose the election. And you lost—the National Party lost. But what did we get in 2017? A 2.6 percent reduction—a 2.6 percent reduction.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Could the member come to the bill.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I'm talking about the bill.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Discuss the bill.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I oppose the bill Madam Chair. I thought you might have got that by now Madam Chair but I totally oppose the bill.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'm actually Madam Deputy Speaker—Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Oh sorry Madam Deputy Speaker.DEPUTY SPEAKER: —and you will address me with some respect and you will address the bill.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I'm addressing the bill Madam Deputy Speaker.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Well I haven't heard it yet.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I absolutely oppose the bill Madam Deputy Speaker.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Well then talk about the bill.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I'm talking about a bill that has been set up that actually will restrict women in terms of what they're doing. We have these types of statistics: women aged between 25 and 39—DEPUTY SPEAKER: No no. Would you discuss the bill—the contents of the bill before the House. Not statistics not election results but the bill.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Well I'm saying the bill's not necessary because this coalition Government has already got a plan in terms of equity. We have a Prime Minister who is committed to reducing inequalities particularly in terms of women.Hon Member: Do something about it then.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: She has made that statement. We know all about it. Sadly that member over there knows very little about it because she's done very little in terms of addressing equity in terms of women.Pay equity and equal pay are core principles of this Government and we have a Prime Minister as I said who will not rest until pay equity has been addressed. So as a Government we're absolutely committed to this. This Government has supported the Joint Working Group on Pay Equity Principles which is comprised as the Opposition should know of business worker and Government representatives and this is the best way of addressing pay equity issues.Hon Member: Stop reading.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Oh I've got to read because when I talk you keep yelling and screaming so I've decided to come back to the bill. This is a bill that we're absolutely committed to opposing as you've heard tonight because it is absolutely opposed to what we want. Our great advocate Kristine Bartlett would not support what the Opposition are trying to do with this bill. It actually works against everything that she aspires to have to want in terms of women's equity. It actually would go contrary to everything that we want. We want absolute equity for women in the workplace. What we do know is that as men get older they get wage increases; as women get older their wages decrease. That's just absolute fact. That's a fact that this Labour Party has espoused for many years. We can't address those types of areas with this type of bill which is contrary and opposite to all the principles that the Labour Party stand for. Kia ora Madam Deputy Speaker."