Little Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 25 August 2015. Volume:708;Page:6069. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety given his decision not to include sheep beef and dairy farming in his Proposed Schedule of High Risk Industries?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes.Andrew Little: Given that the nationwide average death rate is four workers per 100000 and dairy farming’s death rate is 16 workers per 100000 why is farming not considered high risk?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Because we use an accepted standardised list of industries shared by Australia and New Zealand which is used for statistics and data collection. I am advised that businesses that carry the risk of a catastrophic event causing multiple fatalities or industry with more than 25 fatalities per 100000 workers or a serious injury rate of 25 per 1000 workers are deemed high risk.Andrew Little: Given that ACC charges twice the levy on dairy farming that it does on lavender growing why does he say that lavender growing is high risk but dairy farming is not?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: If the test was one against the other I would probably tend to agree with the member but the test is not. Lavender farming will be included in the “other” category. The Government is going through a consultation on those and they may well be taken out.Andrew Little: If the Government’s objective with this bill is to make workers safer how can he possibly defend cutting out farming which accounts for a third of all workplace deaths from one of the most important protections?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The member is showing his complete ignorance of the legislation because actually every farm and every business in New Zealand will have an increased level of responsibility and care when it comes to workplace health and safety. Every business including every farm will have to deal with that and the employers will have to be responsible for that. Every director of every business large and small will have greater responsibilities. Those contractors who work together will be persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs). In fact the member himself even though he probably does not know it is about to become a PCBU for his electorate office. And Winston Peters would be if he bothered to open—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! This is a point of order. I hope I will hear it from the Rt Hon Winston Peters.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister’s penchant is to end answers in the way that he just did. For his information we have already got two offices going in Northland now.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I thank the member for his contribution—[Interruption] Order! I am calling for order particularly from this side at the moment. I thank the member for his contribution but it was not a point of order.Andrew Little: Does—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have now risen to my feet three times to try to get some order in this House. If members continue with interjections that are disrupting the order of the House I will be asking somebody to leave the Chamber.Andrew Little: Does the Prime Minister agree that the ridiculous situation where working with lavender and butterflies is high risk but working with bulls and explosives is not has undermined public confidence in his health and safety reforms; if not why not?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No; because most people who have studied this legislation understand it. They understand that every single business in New Zealand large or small has much greater care and responsibility as a result of the law. What we are talking about is whether something is high risk or low risk for the matter of having a health and safety representative in the workplace. As the member knows that is only one of a great many things that the legislation changes.Andrew Little: If he thinks butterfly breeding is high risk but dairy farming is not can he tell us the last time a rampaging butterfly had to be shot by police in the streets of Whanganui?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: What I think is high risk is being leader of the Labour Party because I have seen plenty of those come and go.Andrew Little: Given that we have one chance to get it right to make Kiwis safer at work but this bill is discredited and in disarray will he take up my offer to work jointly to craft meaningful legislation that the whole country can support?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No I do not think that that is required. The legislation has gone through a complete process. The member is trying to say that because of one aspect of the regulations somehow there is not a substantial change to workplaces—[Interruption] Well that is what the member is trying to say and that actually shows that the member is not taking the process seriously.Andrew Little: I seek leave to table my letter to the Prime Minister and to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Leave is sought to table that particular letter. Is there any objection? There is objection.