Moroney Sue: Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Moroney Sue: Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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SUE MORONEY (Labour) 
: 
 This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to stand and support the Committee stage of the Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill. It is also interesting to note that this bill appears to have support right across Parliament because when I looked at the membership of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee that heard the submissions on this bill I was a little worried when I saw that the only woman member of the team of National MPs on that committee was replaced during its consideration of this bill. I thought that did not bode very well. However I am pleased that what my perhaps naturally suspicious nature perceived was not indicative of the way that National intends to vote on this bill. I was pleased to hear Jackie Blue say that the National Party will be supporting this bill. 
The bill has come through as a Government bill—it has been taken over—and the Minister spoke very well when she thanked our colleague Lynne Pillay who put the bill forward as a member’s bill. It was drawn from the ballot but because of the time frame that we were working to—to be able to endorse the requirements of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women—we were able to take it over as a Government bill and allow it to make hasty process through its stages. So here we are debating the Committee stage. 
It is of no surprise that a Labour Government bill deals with this legislative discrimination because Labour of course is known for being very active on the issue of making sure that achievement is made by women in all sorts of fields in New Zealand. I will just put this into the context of the sorts of things that the Labour Government has achieved for women in this term alone—and this bill will continue in that vein. 
In this term Labour has launched the Action Plan for New Zealand Women. It has expanded and improved the provisions of the paid parental leave scheme by increasing it to 14 weeks. It has also extended that scheme so that self-employed people are able to have paid parental leave as well. Of course the Working for Families package and improved access to early childcare and early childhood education are also significant achievements that affect all family members but they have a particular impact for the women in families. 
I take this opportunity to voice the hope that National in supporting this bill can also see its way clear to support those families who are looking forward to having the 20 hours of free early childhood education. I feel quite disappointed that the Opposition seems to want to goad providers in the sector into not allowing the provision of this 20 hours’ free early childhood education. If National really wanted to get in behind New Zealand women then it would be supporting encouraging and wanting those providers to make sure that the 20 hours of early childhood education went ahead. 
But to go back to the bill it is good to see the across-the-board agreement of Parliament in respect of this particular bill. The bill will make sure that women can take a full part as they already do—and I think a few speakers have spoken on that but we are now fixing it up from a legislative perspective—in the operations of New Zealand’s armed forces. And of course their contribution is invaluable. The bill will build on and validate career options for women who have progressed significantly since the integration of women into the New Zealand armed forces in 1977. 
This bill honours a commitment to uphold and advance human rights that this Labour-led Government prides itself on. We have a belief in our society that discrimination on the basis of gender is a thing of the past as is racial discrimination and age discrimination. If this amendment bill is passed—and it looks as though it will be—it will enable New Zealand to ratify its obligation under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This is New Zealand’s only remaining reservation to that convention. So I am happy to speak in the Committee stage in support of this part of the bill. Thank you.