O'Connor GregGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu): Madam Speaker let me join the veritable chorus of those congratulating you on your elevation to the position—I think one of only a few positions you haven't held in the time you've been here in the House. So I look forward to speaking before you tonight on this and many other bills.The contribution by the previous speaker Paul Goldsmith really comes to the core of the issue. I'm not sure whether over on that side of the House they decide half of them will speak about the fact that we're not spending enough money and the other half will whinge and whine about the fact we're taking too much tax. I think that's what they call balanced politics. We call it having a chip on both shoulders but either way it just shows the total lack of logic that is being applied. There's a chorus of rubbish being yelled across the House—presumably half of them will be saying Pay less tax."; the other half will be saying "Spend more money Government."I think the best example of that was probably around the teachers when they were demanding that we free up more money that it was terrible that we weren't freeing up the millions and billions necessary that were being demanded by the teachers. So I think I'll look forward to deciphering perhaps through Hansard the latest range of screaming across the House.One of the essences of this bill is that—and I think previous speaker the Hon James Shaw hit on it—less sophisticated users of our tax system are often the ones that are disadvantaged and I think underlying that is a basic faith. Although people do complain about the IRD—I think poor old IRD staff are the ones who are least likely to identify themselves at parties or any social gathering because people will climb into their ears but ultimately there's an ultimate I think faith in the system that they will get it right. But actually that's not right—hasn't been—in that if you didn't pay attention to what you were paying particularly around areas like KiwiSaver student loans the reality of it is you may be paying too much tax or not be paying the right tax. So I think what this bill does is it draws attention to the fact that people now and with the new capabilities of the IRD—it gives the IRD the opportunity to be more proactive to ensure that they can actually give people the confidence that they can go about their work particularly those less sophisticated users of the tax system those less sophisticated taxpayers that actually the system is right and this goes some way towards that.If I can just focus on the student loan part of this particularly I know from personal experience with my own children—we all know when people get student loans they build these student loans often a little higher and faster than parents would like them to. We try and keep an eye on it; they seem to get out of control but of course the first time they want to go overseas for any length of time is often when they realise some of the consequences of these student loans—which will be of course interest-free latterly to date—heading off and suddenly realising that they are six months gone from the country; all of a sudden not only do they start paying interest but they actually pay back-interest and there's quite a considerable bill that they that they start to accrue. So that actually is probably the first time they really understand the consequences of it.Of course part of this is that—and that is referred to as a loan repayment holiday but those health problems that can arise—now many of our young people head off overseas on sporting endeavours heading over there maybe to pay the loans. In fact just having been on a sporting endeavour myself looking at Mr McKelvie over there—he was on it himself. Not sure if Mr McKelvie needed a break from his student loan on his great endeavours on the cricket pitch—also Mr Patterson who was here before was on a recent parliamentary trip. Some of the balls were whistling around our ears over there at about 135 kilometres. That could've actually brought about the injuries that may have required some time for a break and the inability to earn money and the necessity for a loan holiday. That's one of the factors in here that will actually be a very important one and it will given the number of New Zealanders that like to get over there to actually make some money to pay their student loan for when they come home—that will be a very important factor.I will be on the select committee considering this. I think it's a very good bill. I look forward to working it through and I'm sure when it comes back here it will something on which the bonhomie and agreement we've seen will continue. I commend this bill."