McAnulty KieranKIERAN McANULTY (Labour): I'm so excited to support this with every fibre of my being. What a marvellous bill. This bill brings back fairness in the workplace. It brings back the fair go for the worker that that side of the House gives lip-service to whenever there's an election campaign but does absolutely nothing for when they're in Government—in fact they reversed the rights that workers have fought hard for over generations in this country. That side of the House is not interested in the low-income worker. They are not interested in people that are working 40 50 60 hours a week and struggling to make ends meet. All they're interested in is making sure that it is easy at every single opportunity to undermine workers' rights in this country because that is not their interest. But I am proud to say that this is a Government for all of New Zealand and that includes workers as well as small-business owners and those that employ people.I say that from some experience. I have been an employee. I have been a director of a company that hired hundreds of people in Wairarapa. I know both sides of the story and in fact the business that I was a director for was in hospitality—one of the industries that pays the lowest across the country. But I tell you what in a small rural community where small businesses often depend on people's capacity to spend—when households have discretionary income small business does well. How can you turn there and say to New Zealand—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hey!KIERAN McANULTY: I apologise. I'm still learning the rules Madam Deputy Speaker. It's a bit of a shame; I was getting a bit wound up there too. I apologise anyway.How can that side of the House say that they are the party of small business when it is small businesses in towns like Waipukurau and Waipawa and Dannevirke and Masterton that are looking up and down their main street and seeing empty retail shops because people don't have the money to spend in their home towns because they're working hard every hour that they can and they are still struggling to feed their families. This is the result of nine years of a Government that has spent every time it can to undermine the rights of New Zealand workers. We have heard previous speakers. One that was the most notable I think—it was talking about the minimum wage and the Hon Nikki Kaye was saying that the previous Government increased the minimum wage. This is a factual statement. But what is also true is that this is a case of something being a good idea when they come up with it and a bad idea when we come up with it. In the nine years that the Labour Party were in Government every single time we proposed increasing the minimum wage that side of the House argued against it. The point of this is that when they are in Opposition they speak for their mates and when they are in Government they give workers lip-service and we're seeing exactly the same thing here today.We heard arguments about the 90-day bill. We heard that this will hurt small business. I'd propose that that side of the House haven't even read the bill. It's clear in this bill that there are provisions in this to look after small business. But the question I want to pose is that if we are moving as we propose from 90-day trials to making sure that businesses that employ people can do so on a probationary period on the basis that at the end of that period they need to provide a proper and decent reason for why they are not continuing that employment what is wrong with that? What is wrong with treating people with dignity and respect and saying to them Look I'm sorry. You weren't able to meet what we previously agreed. You are not suitable for this job and this is the reason why we're not going to continue this employment." That option is still available to them.But the option that is no longer available to them—which most employers do not do but some do and that is enough to make it wrong—is they hire someone for 90 days and for whatever reason be it a whim or be it exploitation they say "Right you're down the road." If what that side of the House says is correct which is that they want to see 90-day trials used to help young people get work experience and build confidence and have a chance and actually build and make something of their life how on earth are they going to have confidence and learn something from an experience of working for an employer that exploited them gave them no feedback fired them for no decent reason and kicked them down the road? Their arguments are not logical. They do not make sense. The fact is that they want to keep 90-day trials because the only thing that they want to preserve is some employers' rights to get rid of workers without fair reason.We've heard today from that side of the House about unions. They don't like talking about unions. They don't like what's in this bill that gives unions and workers the rights to collective bargaining because they know that collective bargaining is the best way for workers to ensure that they get their fair share of production. It is not just us that are saying it. It is the likes of the IMF an internationally renowned and recognised organisation that has reversed its previous position and is now saying that the only way for working people to have a fair go is to ensure they have the right to collective bargaining.I want to pose a question to this House: why is it that the National Party hates workers' unions but loves Federated Farmers? Federated Farmers is a union. It is an organisation that represents its members and that's what a union is.Hon David Bennett: No it's not.KIERAN McANULTY: We've just heard the best contribution from the National Party to this debate all day. We've had senior members former Ministers former Ministers of Finance former Ministers of Education former Ministers of Justice and the Hon David Bennett from Hamilton has come up with the most logical thing they've said even if it didn't make sense: "No it's not." I felt like I've gone back to primary school. "No it's not."—yes it is. The point is that Federated Farmers is an organisation whom I support and this Government supports because they are group that represents their members. We don't pick and choose. We don't get into Government and say "We're going to support workers and trade unions but we're going to put in measures to clamp down on lobby groups and other membership organisations like Federated Farmers." because we believe in the principle of people being able to get together collectively and lobby for their interests.Hon Iain Lees-Galloway: Freedom of association.KIERAN McANULTY: Freedom of association. We don't pick and choose on this side of the House. I am looking at the member for National in Northland the National member from Northland a favourite on this side of the House Matt King—Matt King: You've got my attention now.KIERAN McANULTY: —yes yes—who used to be a police detective and a member of the Police Association a unionist and there he is. He's very quiet uncharacteristically quiet. Police know that it is in their interests to make sure that they have an association—just like a trade union just like Federated Farmers—to ensure that their collective interests are advocated for and yet here he is advocating against a bill that just wants to give other workers the rights that he enjoyed. You can't pick and choose.This bill is designed to and will ensure that the workers of New Zealand will have a fair go and that small business and small employers of New Zealand will still reap the benefits of decent conditions and a productive workforce. Also what this will ensure is that people know that we are working towards a principle an egalitarian principle that this country was founded on of a decent day's pay for a decent day's work. That is no longer the case now after nine years of the previous Government. But this Government this Labour-led Government is committed to reversing the damage that the National Party has done and to actually giving Kiwis a fair go."