Jackson WillieHon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour): Kia ora Madam Speaker. Another fabulous speech from the Government! Yes there must be a lot of aroha there in the Whanganui area. I want to mihi to Hana and Tamatha for that beautiful kōrero in terms of tautoko for our people. Mihi nui ki a kōrua kōrero ataahua. Tino waimārie mātou ki te whakarongo ki tērā kōrero. [Thanks to the two of you for your beautiful words. We are very fortunate to listen to those statements.]It is wonderful when I hear our young wāhine giving their views because these are the views of our young people today. They really object and reject this type of legislation. I was listening very carefully to what both of them were saying in terms of the breach of rights the assault on rights and the helplessness of some workers who feel intimidated with the position they're in. They're nervous to complain and we had a very genuine example there of young wāhine who may be harassed in the workplace. I was listening to that example and I thought that was a very good example. They're a bit mataku or a bit nervous perhaps to complain for fear of losing the contract. It's pretty simple but it's far too complex for this Government who are so fixed on this and hell-bent on rolling out strategies that are basically offensive to our communities the communities we represent—to Māori to women. So I was really pleased to hear that kōrero early on.When I sit here I listen to the market flexibility arguments and I always believe that that's a load of rubbish that we hear from the Government with regards to market flexibility. The fair pay agreements would have ensured that the so-called market flexibility—there was no barrier in terms of fair pay agreements stopping market flexibility but there's always this view that productivity above everything even common sense is paramount and that's something that we always get from the right. We continue to hear it but they never see the results. Now this Government is ramming this legislation through with no public consultation before Christmas—Carl Bates: It's called an election.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: An election does not give any Government the right to breach—to breach—the principles that they waffle on about all the time. We've heard Chris Bishop saying so many times over the last few years that it's virtually a breach of democracy to roll out urgency. We've heard Chris Bishop in this House say that but oh no he's apologising now because he wants to appease and placate his dirty rotten mates on the right—Madam Speaker I say that very respectfully—and he wants to appease and placate the dirty rotten National Party and ACT supporters and so he brings in urgency just to get this terrible legislation through. Here we are five days from Christmas and all we can think about is our rich mates on the right—we just want to look after them.Now I want to bring in this research from Motu in 2016. This was commissioned by Treasury and it found no evidence that the ability to use trial periods significantly increases firms' overall hiring and no evidence that the policy increased the probability that a new hire by a firm was a disadvantaged job seeker. Research also showed that it did not appear to affect the likelihood of new hires remaining in the long term or make workers less likely to move jobs. The research as I said was commissioned by Treasury and we choose to ignore them as this Government is doing. The research concluded that the main benefit of the policy was a decrease in dismissal costs for firms while many employees faced increased uncertainty about their job security for three months after being hired." So let me reread that for this new far-right race-baiting Government. It said that the main benefit of the 90-day right to sack policy "was a decrease in dismissal costs for firms while many employees faced increased uncertainty about their job security for three months after being hired."—many employees faced increased uncertainty. I say that again about their job security for three months after being hired. I mean that's just terrible. So the reason why the Government is giving bosses the right to sack doesn't stack up. All it does is intimidate workers—that's just the reality. Now that's official but as we all know the Government knows best because their grandfather invested in their useless son who came to Parliament—something along those lines. Intimidated workers as we've heard already don't complain about poor safety conditions and I know this coming from the workplace. Intimidated workers don't complain about abusive bosses or sometimes sexual harassment. Intimidated workers don't sign up as union members—it's so sad—and intimidated workers are a Christmas present for bad bosses whom this Government wants to empower. We support small businesses and their right to a 90-day rule because a business with under 19 employees needs that support.Carl Bates: Show us how you support businesses.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Well we have shown you how. We have shown you how over the last few years but you choose to ignore that. You choose to breach your own rules your own principles the very tenets of democracy that you love to waffle on about but when you get a bit of power you go crazy and attack communities: Māoris workers women—everyone. We support small business. We can all understand though that small businesses don't have large HR departments to vigorously vet potential workers lending a pressure valve if they hire a poor fit for a small business but extending that to large corporations and companies who do have large HR departments means bad bosses who want to exploit are given more power to do that. This Government is standing with those who already have the power and ramming legislation through under urgency with no public submissions is an abuse of power for the powerful. This is a Government for the few not for the many. It's a kick in the guts to the many working-class families that their ability to get minimum wage jobs will actually be intimidated and threatened by the legislation not enabled and empowered by it. That is why this legislation is so offensive. This far-right race-baiting Government will tell you this law—[Interruption] That's true. I think we're all agreed on this side—we all agree with that don't we? I'll say it again—this far-right race-baiting Government will tell you this law will allow bosses to take on more workers as if giving large corporations the right to sack before 90 days is helping the worker. Only National ACT and New Zealand First can kick workers in the guts and then call it a helping hand. We hear them: "Oh we're helping them. We love them."—oh great yes. The research however shows that the only discernible gain is a drop in the cost of dismissals and making workers feel bullied. Bullying anxious workers into being intimidated helps no one other than the boss who is exploiting the dynamics—as we keep hearing from our side—in that power relationship. The employment laws should be there to protect the vulnerable not empower the bullies who are all great friends of the ACT Party National Party and New Zealand First. This really is a disgraceful piece of legislation. The common thread of policy this Government is ramming through right now is bashing people their voters don't like. That's malice not good policy. Good governance demands more than empowering your abusive friends of your political circle which this crew is doing. There's no sense in this law and no wider public good other than benefiting bad bosses. It's counter-productive and it is offensive to the communities and the people we represent and we reject it and oppose this legislation."