Prasad Rajen: Taxation (Annual Rates Returns Filing and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Prasad Rajen: Taxation (Annual Rates Returns Filing and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 28 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4847. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD (Labour) 
: 
 What an interesting fully read speech from that member John Hayes who has been in this House long enough to have at least short-term memory recall not to have to read his speech. But there you go. I thought the last part congratulating the Minister was from the heart which was very good but most of it was read. 
We actually support Part 2 of this particular bill the Taxation (Annual Rates Returns Filing and Remedial Matters) Bill. There is very little in there that we would have difficulty with because as the Minister in the chair the Minister of Revenue said this has gone through—as the officials have done—those things that would make the operation of the tax system better. As members on this side have said we support those changes that are being made in Part 2. Whether it is the higher purchase definition which has been parked or unsuccessful software development these are all good provisions. But I would have expected that member who just sat down to at least— 
Darien Fenton 
: Who is it? 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: Mr Hayes I think his name is—Mr Hayes. I would have expected him to be at least fairer about a number of things. Mr Hayes it is your party that changed a very good KiwiSaver scheme. Now this is going back up again and perhaps the member might simply acknowledge that and say: “Ah we made a mistake. We’re going to move it up there. This is the best we can do.” When the Helen Clark Government passed that particular bill that member’s party did not support it—did not support it at all. It is very very interesting that the member now owns it calling it a great scheme etc. Well remember where it came from. Remember what the genesis of that was. 
I think Raymond Huo made a very good point reminding that member and those opposite—and I know the Hon Judith Collins is bored by this because it was not recent enough but sometimes the facts of history have to be repeated Mr Hayes so that others do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Some elements in Part 1 do do that but in this part no. 
But the member John Hayes did begin to talk about things he knows nothing about. That member knows nothing about the Families Commission and nothing about its achievements. In fact he actually tells things not the way they were but he makes them up—that member has made them up. For the benefit of that member—because the challenge was direct and named me and named my former position—what did the Families Commission achieve? The Minister in the chair is very familiar with this. All of the work in the family violence prevention area had the imprint of the Families Commission under my leadership Mr Hayes. Is there any piece of that that his Government would take away? There is not one. That member acknowledges that there is nothing that that member knows anything about. So Mr Hayes if you do not know about something do not say anything about it; rather read your speech. I would put up with that. 
Does that member know that most of the thinking around paid parental leave was done by that commission? That was probably the best piece of work on paid parental leave. The member looks surprised. The member did not know about that. The jaw dropped just then. I think the member knows nothing about it yet the member is very quick to criticise. 
Going back to family violence it was that member’s party when in Opposition that actually stood aside from the task force from the ministerial group that worked on family violence prevention. That party stepped aside from it. That member’s party had no interest in that. There is a whole bunch of areas around parenting but I say to the member that if the member is defending this part of the bill it needs no defence because this side agrees with most of it. 
We do have some criticism about how the changes around KiwiSaver have come about. In Part 5 it comes up again if the member has read the bill right through. But there are reasonable parts of the bill. This side of the Chamber will always be reasonable if things come up. Part 2 of this bill addresses many of those things in our taxation system that need to be tidied up. We are supporting it and we are supporting it very very clearly and unequivocally. 
But this side will not take an approach like Mr Hayes just took. He was accusing members on this side—