Williams Andrew: State Sector and Public Finance Reform Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Williams Andrew: State Sector and Public Finance Reform Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 November 2012. Volume:686;Page:6931. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First) 
: 
 I take a call on behalf of New Zealand First on the State Sector and Public Finance Reform Bill. Can I also concur with some of the other members of this House and say how boring it was to hear the Hon Jonathan Coleman deliver his obviously written speech which was obviously prepared by somebody other than him. It was the equivalent of watching paint dry or watching the grass on the front lawn grow. It certainly was not riveting stuff in terms of reforming the State sector. 
In regards to that can I say firstly that although New Zealand First does appreciate the need to always find greater efficiencies in any part of Government whether it be central government or local government we do not however support the way the National Government is going about this in terms of these State sector reforms. This large very wide-ranging complex omnibus bill purports to provide the legislative basis for better public services and also strengthening the legislative framework. Yes there are lots and lots of fine words and empty phrases in this bill but they are just empty phrases. It talks about more collaboration among Government departments it talks about sharing functions and services it talks about sharing purchasing goods and services logistics more efficient and effective systems and greater financial and reporting flexibility and on and on it goes. But much of it is simply talk. Much of it is just lip service. Much of it is again window glossing by this National Government to move the deckchairs on the  
Titanic 
 so that it looks like it is doing something. In actual fact it is just window glossing over what is a tragic situation. It is a situation like the  
Mikhail Lermontov 
 about to hit the rocks in the Marlborough Sounds. The Government says that it is all fine it is all glossy we are all on the red carpet at Hobbitville down in Wellington today and everything is roses but in actual fact things are grim. And down in the engine room of the  
Mikhail Lermontov 
 and down in the engine room of the  
Titanic 
 things are looking pretty grim. 
The Government gives the same old buzzwords: “efficiency” “simplify” “collaborate” “logistics” “flexibility” “streamline” and “improved governance”. The rhetoric goes on and on and on and we hear it from every Minister. We hear it whether it is the education Minister whether it is the health Minister whether it is the State services Minister whether it is the building and construction Minister—they all give the same rhetoric. But at the end of the day things in New Zealand are not getting better. These cutbacks will continue across the Public Service from this Government. We will see that and the fabric of our public sector will continue to fray. The downgrading of our public sector will see the resulting degradation of society in New Zealand. 
That same thinking—or should we say lack of thinking—has seen the likes of the Pike River coalmine disaster where there was a reduction in mines inspectors. It has seen the  
Rena 
 ship disaster where again our agencies such as Maritime New Zealand were not up with the play did not have the resources did not have a response vessel available to react to it and did not have the processes in place to react to it. The same thinking—and the same lack of thinking—has seen leaky homes come from the National Government a former National Government of the 1990s carried on through to this National Government which similarly wants to reduce under the Building Act amendment legislation compliance in terms of building. In so doing we will have leaky homes revisited part 2 in the next 10 years. What the Government is doing under the Building Act amendment legislation similarly is downgrading the standards of building in this country so that as well as all the 1990s and 2000s homes that are currently leaking we will have the 2012-15 homes leaking in 10 years’ time. 
Fortunately most of those members over there will not be in Government by then; they will be well gone. In fact they will be gone back to the Wairarapa and wherever else they come from. They will be well gone. Some of us who are still of an age that can respond to the situation will have to pick up the pieces will have to pick up the pieces on behalf of good working Kiwi people—Kiwi husbands and wives families and hard-working Kiwis who will say once again: “How did the National Government invoke this on New Zealand and wind down the Public Service to a level where incompetent decisions were made?”. 
It is interesting when you start reading through this very lengthy bill—it is something like 121 pages—that there are some real hidden pitfalls in it. Although the Government says that it is going to be more efficient and it will cut down the Public Service and then do all this there are some real fish hooks in this bill. I would challenge some of the National Party people over there to refer to—they have probably never opened it; have you opened the bill any of you—new section 6 “Functions of Commissioner” in clause 11. It says: “For the purpose of carrying out the Commissioner’s role”—this is the State Services Commissioner—“the principal functions of the Commissioner are to” and then new paragraph (j) says “exercise such other functions with respect to the administration and management of the Public Service as the Prime Minister from time to time directs (not being functions conferred by this Act or any other Act on a chief executive other than the Commissioner).” 
In other words one little paragraph hidden right in amongst here gives the Prime Minister absolute ultimate power to turn to the State Services Commissioner and say: “Oi into my office. Up to the ninth floor. Get up here quick. I want you to do this.” And under new section 6(j) he says: “Forget all the Acts forget that we have got a Parliament forget that we have got a democracy forget that we are part of a Westminster democracy—one of the oldest democracies in the world. Forget that New Zealanders—and we see them around the walls of this Chamber—went off to battle to fight for democracy. Forget that.” Under this bill the Prime Minister says: “Oi I’ve got ultimate power over you and I think you should do this.” Not you Mr Speaker. You would never do that. I know that you would never do that but John Key as we all know him would do that because he runs a shonky John Key Government and under a shonky John Key Government shonky John Key would get the State Services Commissioner up to the ninth floor of the Beehive and he would say: “I’m going to exercise my right to tell you in respect of the administration and management of the Public Service that I think you should do this.” 
That is appalling and this is the sort of legislation that this Government is putting through. This bill is not a solution for anything; rather it entrenches current problems. This bill will not stop the erosion and undermining of the public sector. This bill creates an illusion of progress and improvement but the evidence to support it is missing. There is no clear and compelling case that this bill takes us to better and more cost-effective public services. No we do not want a bloated public sector—certainly we do not want a bloated public sector—but also we do not want a hollowed-out State services sector where we end up with more Pike Rivers where we end up with more  
Rena 
 disasters where we end up with more leaky homes and where we end up with the bureaucracy simply not controlling the functions of New Zealand. New Zealand First will not support this bill.