Hughes Gareth: Standing Orders — SessionalText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHughes Gareth: Standing Orders — Sessional[Sitting date: 26 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13804. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]GARETH HUGHES (Musterer—Green): Kia ora Mr Assistant Speaker.Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. I rise on behalf of the Green Party to support this Government motion No. 2 introducing a draft sessional order for a new category of leave called compassionate leave. This Chamber is not noted for its compassion. It is more noted for its dog-eat-dog political partisan petty point-scoring. It is not known for its family-friendly work hours. It is not known for the camaraderie or for the collaborative positive process. But it is great that this Parliament on the last day of this session is also debating this motion to see a new category compassionate leave. I think everyone in this Parliament would like to see a bit more compassion in this debating chamber.When it comes to the issue of leave there are two mechanisms that members and their parties can go through to deal with this issue. The first is under the discretion of the Speaker and relates to the Civil List Act 1979 which relates to our remuneration. The second one which the public might be more familiar with is the issue of leave for MPs to be able to leave the parliamentary precincts but for their vote to be cast. At the moment parties can have 25 percent of their members away without dropping down their votes.I think many people—and I know I get a number of messages online and emails about it—constantly ask why there are so few people in this debating chamber. The answer of course is not that all the MPs are off bunking or down at the pub—at the Back Bencher. The fact is that many MPs are out doing constituency work at community functions or in fact are hard at work in their offices. Under the MMP environment party votes are cast by the party not by the individual so whips—ormusterers as we call them in the Green Party—have the discretion to allow MPs to have leave.What we have not had is the ability for Parliament to have a new category of leave called compassionate leave. At the moment regardless of what the purpose of the leave is—be it that the MP is sick on family duties or has any other personal issue—it comes out of that party’s entitlement. This has the perverse incentive for those MPs who maybe have a family personal or health issue not to apply for leave because they might be disadvantaging their colleagues who may be spending time at a function or speaking at a conference. The message that we do not want to send is that sick MPs should stay working at Parliament so their colleagues can have leave at conferences or out campaigning.What we want to have is a safe work environment where if MPs have health problems or family problems or family issues they should be able to take leave. It is great to see this. It is something the Green Party has been pushing for on the Business Committee. I would like to acknowledge the work of Holly Walker who facing an imminent birth of her own has been driving this. I am not aware that her birth has occurred. She has not updated Twitter for about 7 hours so hopefully she is not going into labour as we speak.Hon Michael Woodhouse: What’s her due date?GARETH HUGHES: I am not sure of her due date. It must be pretty soon.Jan Logie: Five days ago.GARETH HUGHES: Five days ago was her due date so I am sure this Parliament will be eagerly waiting for the news of Holly’s baby’s birth.As the member Sue Moroney points out what we want to have is a House of Representatives that is truly representative including of young parents. As a father to two young kids aged 3 and 6 it is a struggle to be a good dad and a good member of Parliament. It is great to see Parliament coming together with this new amendment to Standing Order 140(3) that allows the Speaker to grant this new category of compassionate leave.I have two quick points on this. The Greens would like to see this entrenched in the Standing Orders not just in a temporary sessional order. We want to see it entrenched. We want to see a compassionate Parliament with compassionate leave in the rule book. We want to see the issue of parental leave distinctly added. At the moment it is only compassionate leave. We think parental leave is important. Looking after your kids and supporting yourwhānau is important.It is just one of many Standing Orders changes the Green Party wants to see. I will soon be putting in a submission from the Greens. We have got around 17 substantive points where we can modernise our parliamentary rules and where we can have better legislative lawmaking—for example in terms of substantive amendments which the Government has been using a great deal of to circumvent the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and select committee scrutiny. These points go through to lobbying changes through to international treaty provisions through to the election of the Speaker and through to something close to my heart which is reforming the issue of the prayer.What we are seeing here with the compassionate leave changes is Parliament slowly modernising and becoming a more family-friendly a more personal health and well-being - friendly and a more compassionate place. There is a long way to go. This is just the start and the Green Party will keep being the party that is proposing positive solutions to support members and to support the lawmaking process in New Zealand. We will keep making these positive solutions and supporting them when they are in front of this House. Kia ora.