Hughes GarethGARETH HUGHES (Green): Kia ora Madam Assistant Speaker. Ngā mihi nui kia koutou kia ora. After listening to the two National speeches on this legislation from Dr Parmjeet Parmar and Simeon Brown I was reflecting and reminded of the book by Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol because it was kind of like these two spectres had come and visited the country and visited the Parliament and told us about the dystopian future we could have experienced had the election had turned out differently. In fact we saw quite a reflection and a truth of the realities of today. What we heard were two speeches: one entirely focused almost on providing corporate profit in educating our kids with this support and defence of charter schools and then we saw Simeon Brown focus most of his speech on the difference between different bills and parliamentary procedure and whether it should have been one bill or two bills. What I didn't hear was kids what I didn't hear was education what I didn't hear was better outcomes for our country. I heard two MPs entirely focused on corporate profit and entirely focused on the intricacies of parliamentary procedure. What I didn't hear was about education.Now the problem for National is these ghosts are also the spectres of National's future. If this is what National is putting to the country on their vision for education God help us because what they didn't stand on was their track record—delivering a $1.1 billion funding hole when this Government joined hands to take over the crumbling infrastructure in education skills. We inherited a system that saw a teacher-training deficit and now we're trying to pick up the mess from that teacher-training shortage they left us.They focused on corporate profits with their charter schools and forced National Standards on the country. They failed those special needs students and their whānau with the lack of Ongoing Resourcing Scheme funding. They were closing schools up and down New Zealand. For nine years they were a massive mess for education in New Zealand. And their main focus is that we're repealing their legislation that they foisted on the country.Look what this legislation does quite unambiguously is repeal some of the most egregious parts of the education legislation that they ran through this House: things like the Education Council. It makes sense that the public interest should be achieved through the new requirement that the Minister can direct some of the special determinants of the Education Council which play such an important role.I can't believe that National is opposed to making sure that private and integrated schools are safe places to be. Now I think most New Zealanders would be quite shocked to find that at present there's nothing in the private school registration criteria that enables the Secretary of Education to consider the physical and educational safety of students. This is the present status quo in the public system. Is National that opposed to public and mental safety in private and charter schools that they're going to oppose this legislation tonight?Then of course we get to the communities of online learning. I remember when voting against this in 2017 reading out a whole bunch of headlines from educators—not from parliamentarians who are focused on the parliamentary procedures; from actual educators—and what did they say? They said that communities of online learning had gobsmacked them—they were incredulous. Headlines were Principals hot under the collar" "Education reforms half-cooked" but the most important one "Risk of harming learning". National was focused of course on rolling out the scheme putting our kids in front of screens for private profit when we know from the educational experts that face to face is the best way.Now of course there's a role for digital technology in our schools. Reflecting as a father there are some great programmes out there—Reading Eggs Mathletics—which enhance the learning but it was no panacea for the problems facing our education sector from the massive underfunding the infrastructure deficit and the lack of teachers. Computers and screens were no replacement for those critical education initiatives. So I'm proud that this Government is opposing and rolling back the communities of online learning because the way it was rolled out was damaging to the educational outcomes for our kids. Now there is a role for online technologies as I said and this review allows those best-practice learnings to be rolled out.Lastly when it comes to the cohort entry for five-year-olds the way the previous National Government had rolled it out meant that in reality four-year-olds could be going to school—again against evidence-based best practice. So all this legislation simply does is make sure and clarify that despite the cohort policy of individual schools you've got to be five to go to school.So am I really hearing tonight that National is against promoting safety both mental and physical in charter schools? Is National really despite all the evidence still focused on charter schools? Is National really happy seeing four-year-old kids go off to school? That's on top of the crisis and the catastrophe they were in the tertiary education sector and despite the negative stances and outcomes and actions they took when it came to early childhood education. Is National really taking this position?I know this Government is really standing up for what's important which is our kids and their educational outcomes. This is the way we're going to grow a richer New Zealand a more prosperous New Zealand that invests in its people invests in knowledge. If that's how we're going to grow a richer more innovative New Zealand I'm proud to be voting for this legislation today."