Woods Megan; Tolley AnneHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Energy and Resources): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. It's my pleasure to take a call on this bill. I'd like to congratulate Denise Lee the member that has just taken her seat. It is a fantastic opportunity to get the chance to bring a member's bill to this House so early in your term so I'd like to congratulate you. I would also like to outline the reasons why Labour will not be supporting this bill. Nobody could have been prouder than when a fellow member of my union E tū was named New Zealander of the Year—Kristine Bartlett—earlier this year. Kristine Bartlett is a fearless campaigner who alongside her colleagues—the women largely that she worked beside in aged-care and home-care facilities—worked hard along with her union to pull off a remarkable triumph. The previous speaker the member that has brought this bill talked about how that process took so long. That process took so long because the previous Government fought that union and Kristine Bartlett every step of the way in the courts. They only settled when they were forced to do it.We will not be supporting this legislation because under this bill the triumph that Kristine and her union were able to achieve simply could not be possible. When it comes down to it what is the problem? The Bartlett case and the case that E tū brought to achieve this amazing triumph for women turned on the fact that we could compare work that is traditionally seen as women's work with work that is traditionally seen as men's work and this is where the rub of this lies. It's in the lack of the ability to do this comparator work that is in the bill that this member has brought to the House that lies the problem. This is why the Government did not support this bill when we took over the Government benches. We said We need to do this properly. We want to put in place pay equity legislation that will allow for more triumphs like Kristine Bartlett and her union were able to achieve." This bill this legislation is recycled Government legislation from a Government that was unelected at the end of last year—let's bear that in mind—and a Government where Kristine Bartlett the woman that they're saying is the triumph of what we should be aiming for criticised this very piece of legislation because she recognised that what she achieved and what her union achieved in bringing 55000 women more pay could not be achieved under this piece of legislation.So we are determined to do this properly. We do not want to legislate against the Kristine Bartletts of this world. We do not want to legislate against the opportunity that exists for women who are seeking substantially increased pay packets because of that triumph.I have spoken to many workers in my electorate who now talk about the fact that they don't have to walk to work. They can afford to get the bus because of the settlement of that case. That is the fundamental difference that it is making to people's lives and the fact that we have a piece of legislation that would make it impossible for other groups to get that—DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'm sorry to interrupt the member but it is time for me to leave the Chair. Debate interrupted.The House adjourned at 10 p.m."