Chadwick Steve: Protected Disclosures Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Chadwick Steve: Protected Disclosures Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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Hon STEVE CHADWICK (Labour) 
: 
 I shall carry on from the previous speaker in speaking about an open environment in the health sector. Tonight we have heard examples of staff losing their jobs for example in the Otago District Health Board. I tell Dr Hutchison who was an obstetrician and a gynaecologist that in the public sector and district health boards senior medical officers as that member once was are terribly nervous now about the Minister of Health’s new—it is like a shining light he has just seen—“clinical leadership”. He says let us bring in clinical leadership as if it were a new idea. It had been there for 9 years. However we cannot lead without the troops and the troops behind the clinical leaders and senior medical staff are the ward clerks and booking clerks. I ask how the Government is ever going to get waiting lists down for things like cancer therapy treatment and emergency triage without that team behind it. Senior medical staff members are saying they cannot do their jobs in the environment of fear that is now in the district health boards where the health teams will be cut to meet terms of efficiency for this Minister. 
There is an environment of fear. It is out there right now. We heard before about other senior people who are losing their jobs. That is why in 2003 following a report to Parliament about the Protected Disclosures Act the Labour Government at the time came up with the Protected Disclosures Amendment Bill that we are debating in this Chamber tonight. The bill will protect staff. Those staff who support senior doctors can speak out and say “enough” and that they cannot go on in the health sector without the safety of patients being at risk in the name of clinical efficiency and fast tracking of patients in the hospital sector. Those people in that health team are beginning to ring us now in Opposition to tell us about that climate of fear I say to Dr Hutchison. I am sure that that is something the Government never intended to bring about in the name of efficiency. 
I am very pleased that with this bill the ward clerk the clinical booking clerk the librarian and the cleaner can speak out and say they can no longer do their jobs in the name of efficiency and that bottom line in health. I heard Government members when they were in Opposition railing against the extra expenditure that went into health. Now it will cut that very fine public health service so that we can bring in privatisation by stealth and not look after the best interests of the public of New Zealand. I am pleased that we took action following that report in 2003 and said we would do something about it and that we would protect people who speak out. Those are the very people whom Dr Hutchison talks about. 
Of course he would talk about chairmen and chairwomen and people who are on higher levels. Let us talk about those who are on the ward floor and who actually see the impact of what will happen with those cuts. Those cuts will go to the very heart of the public health system in this country that we on this side of the Chamber when we were in Government were so proud to build up into a health service that was second to none. Yes we will make it easier for whistleblowers and they will be protected; and yes only 23 percent knew about the previous protected disclosures legislation. The strengthening of the legislation will put in place systems of accountability in every sector—health education public service and private sector—so that people know how they can safely disclose information. I think that is a very good aspect of this bill. After this bill goes through all stages members will see that the awareness among employees of their rights to speak out about what they see that is wrong and unjust will increase inordinately. I am pleased we are debating this bill in the Chamber tonight.