SpeechTONI SEVERIN (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of ACT as their disability spokesperson to support this bill the Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill but like many others before me we still have concerns—as do Penny Simmonds and Maureen Pugh and also Jan Logie. We agree: this is a committee to nominate people to committees so it just seems to be committees versus committees. It's quite sad because the Access Alliance who I've only just recently met—because I'm only a new MP here for the last nearly two years coming up—have formed this great group of 12 different disability groups and they have already done a lot of work that I feel could have probably been taken and put into a bill in some form. However it is not being done. And as Maureen Pugh mentioned 1.1 million are identified from the 2013 survey as disabled with multiple disabilities. As for myself my godson has a disability which is quite severe and I myself fall into the category of learning disability and also the sad reality is that I have to look after my eyesight. So one day I may need the services of a guide dog and have to learn to use Braille.There are a lot of hidden disabilities that many people do not see. You see the access disabilities but there are so so many. The other sad reality is that we already know this and there are so many things that we can also instruct the public on: simple things even businesses could do that would not cost a lot. But if they know that there are problems if the complaints have been heard there are different things that can be done just simple things like asking the communities. Mr Clark from the Blind Low Vision sent me just a few things that the Access Alliance have been gathering as a diary of access problems: the likes of a park where wheelchairs are not able to physically get in with other children; then also just simple things such as our pathways where people leave their rubbish bins and then the rubbish collectors come and leave them in the middle of the footpath and so they're an obstruction—not only for the disabled but even for mums with prams—that they have to navigate around; some have to go on to the streets. For me coming from Christchurch we still have problems with our pathways where holes and potholes are around and forming.So there are just so many different things that could have been put into this bill like standards as has been mentioned by Jan Logie and time frames and enforcements. The enforcement is to come and give people that time to fix things because also there is usually always costs involved in this. But if we're not aware of these barriers how can we fix them? And then also we need a proper complaints and solution process because we have spoken to and heard from many disability groups that sometimes their complaints are not heard and this is just not on. They are very much part of our community whether you can absolutely see their disability or whether it is hidden—we need to make sure. As I've read in the paper accessibility is not just for car parks and toilets; it is our homes it is our businesses it's websites it is learning aids it's equipment to help people with any of these issues—transportation parks. There is just so much that could have been done and also a buy-in for all New Zealanders. We can't move forward unless we bring the whole of New Zealand with us and make them realise that we all some day could be disabled. We have an ageing population and many of this ageing population may end up having to need some form of access. Also as we say we can also have temporary disability where we incur an accident or surgery which then temporarily puts us in need of some sort of access to get around—and that's when able-bodied people realise how many barriers there are for those who are disabled.The other thing is with this committee having a nomination panel of the community nomination and a Māori communication it's great it's fantastic. However what about representation from rural areas which again their disability areas are probably totally different from urban areas—Asian Indian Asian Chinese the Pasifika. These are all different areas and they all come from different cultures that have different ideas around disabilities. So I hope that all these lovely different areas come and talk to us at the select committee. I am glad that we have a long extended time so that we can make sure that everyone's voice is heard. Because this is very important: we need to hear everyone's voice—be it disabled be it able and different races—because as we say every race has different requirements around culture. Some cultures don't like to mention or talk about their disabled within their communities. So this is a huge input that needs to come out.Now I say that we are all able—whether or not you are disabled or able—because if you get the right tools as a disabled person you can be part of this society. It may not be that all of them can give you a lot of ability but they can be part of this community as a whole. And we need to make sure that they have these tools to make sure that they are part of this community and they feel part of this community and not excluded like has happened over the many years that this has occurred.Now as I said I have a learning disability and we find that those run within many families and if it's not diagnosed this can on for generations. Now I know mine is only a very minor disability but if we don't have children learning and being able to participate in things that's another huge barrier that we are incurring. And this is a thing; it's a hidden disability and most of us don't want to be classified as disabled. People see the physical disabilities and yes that is a huge barrier there for a lot of them but the hidden disabilities—you know we've got to make sure that they are identified just as much as the visible ones.Now the other thing that's really important is we do believe that every New Zealander has the right to exist to their best ability. And this bill again I'll reiterate it just seems to be committees forming committees. It definitely doesn't seem to have any teeth. That's why we're going to be supporting it to the first reading through to the select committee and we hope that we can get some teeth in it.Before I finish up here I would really like to thank Access Alliance group. They have done a fantastic job in giving a really great framework which could have been well and truly implemented into getting some things already up and running and could have given teeth to the ministry when it opens to start doing things—even just contact between the Government and local government on just simple simple barriers occurring in everyday lives. And the diaries that the beautiful people are now submitting so that we have ideas—now this should have happened ages ago and looked at what we could have done sooner. I feel that this bill is not going to go far enough. I do hope that in select committee we get some very great submissions that will lead us to a bill that will give us some standards give us some time frames give us enforcement down the track because as you say we've got to bring all New Zealanders together and that means that we just can't lump enforcement straightaway on businesses or things like that. And also we need a good area where complaints can be heard because this is another thing: these complaints from what I understand from many disability people have been overlooked and we can find good and fast solutions.So I commend this bill to the House and I look forward to the select committee hearing and hearing from the wider community of New Zealand. I hope that this can go further than what's just committees setting up committees. Thank you Mr Speaker.