Little Andrew: Statutes Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Little Andrew: Statutes Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 11 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7451. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ANDREW LITTLE (Labour) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to stand and take a call on the Statutes Amendment Bill. I understand as a new member—like the last two speakers in fact on this bill—that Statutes Amendment bills such as these are to make small non-controversial corrections to existing legislation. It is interesting that in the debates on the Legislation Bill that we had—admittedly not this one—there is provision there not only for a review of legislation but for technical corrections to legislation. 
The important thing about this bill is that we are in the last dying moments of the lawmaking part of this Parliament at this time of the year dealing with a bill that very much sums up where this Government is at. These might be small technical amendments to existing legislation but let us look at them. Given all the issues in front of New Zealand today—issues about joblessness people searching and craving for work at this very difficult time as the season of goodwill and joy is upon us—we have legislation that does not deal with the issues that New Zealanders want. That is why this bill sums up really the year that this Government has had and where this Government is at. People desperate for work people desperate to get an increase in their pay—of those who are in work 60 percent of them cannot even get a pay rise this year and they want that. What do we see here? We see nothing in the Statutes Amendment Bill which will perform small technical amendments that will allow that to happen. 
We have people who are suffering the inequities of inequality and my colleague Lianne Dalziel talked about the ongoing unfairness and desperation of people in Christchurch. What did we find in the Statutes Amendment Bill for that? Absolutely nothing. We see small technical amendments to the Accident Compensation Act. Do we see anything that is going to improve the privacy management and privacy protection of claimants to ACC? None at all—none at all. And those issues are going begging. We have had a grand high report from Australians come in once again—to ride to the rescue—to tell us how to improve our privacy management in ACC. But is there anything in this bill that will help the long-suffering ACC claimants whose privacy has been breached? Nothing at all. What about protecting ACC claimants against bad decision-making? Is there a small technical amendment that would help? There is nothing at all in this bill about that. 
What about in the Companies Act? Where do we see a need for amendment in the Companies Act? What about making directors liable for poor management decisions—just extend directors’ duties slightly just a little bit in the Companies Act? Do we see anything in this legislation that does that? Absolutely nothing at all. When we look at the District Courts Act what is the crying need in the District Courts? It is for more resources so that the decisions can get made. It is good that the High Court can make decisions reasonably swiftly—for example in the Salisbury School decision. It is good that the High Court can make those decisions because it has got good smart judges who can make good swift decisions on these very important issues and the parents of those very needy very important kids at Salisbury School can now enter the Christmas break relieved and with a sense of justice having been done. But is there anything in this legislation that helps the District Court rise to its proper level of functioning and do that? There is nothing here at all. 
What about the amendment to the Electoral Act? Is it going to close off the difficulty that our parliamentary colleague the Hon John Banks has been having in his disclosures? There is nothing at all about that. But these are the issues that New Zealanders will go into the Christmas break talking about. They will go into the Christmas break with the last piece of legislation considered by this House doing nothing at all for them. I call this the “Gangnam Style” Government. The “Gangnam Style” Government goes with the spirit of the times. This is a Government that is riding the invisible horse of lawmaking and policy making. 
Mike Sabin 
: Why don’t you put a bit of a dance down? 
ANDREW LITTLE 
: Oh I will give you a demonstration. This is the Government that is riding the invisible horse and it is nothing that is going to help New Zealanders. I would do the other one but I do not know what that dance style is. This is a Government that is all hat and no horse. It is the “Gangnam Style” of Government and it is riding the invisible horse. It talks big. It talks about making a big difference and we will see this afternoon all the wonderful messages that it will give to New Zealand as we enter the Christmas break. But will it make a tinker’s cuss of difference to New Zealanders as they gather round the barbecues? They cannot afford steak on the barbecues this year. It will be cheap snarlers from the supermarket on this summer’s barbecues because people cannot afford much. But they will be saying that this is a Government that is riding the invisible horse of decision making and of policy making. It does not have a policy and it does not have a plan. It does not have a plan that is going to fix things. 
It has come to the House in the dying days of lawmaking—the dying hours and minutes of lawmaking—this side of Christmas and it will make small technical amendments but are we going to do anything that is actually going to do anything that will actually make a difference to New Zealanders? No no no. We will go into the Christmas season making changes to the Insolvency Act but are we going to protect small creditors? No we are not going to do anything like that. Look at the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act. What was the big injustice a couple of weeks ago? Poor old Sir Peter Jackson the hero of a nation. He has just made  
The Hobbit 
 and the security guard detailed to protect him was a convicted criminal. Is there anything in this legislation that is going to fix that? Not at all. The hero of the nation—the hero of the nation—was subject to the whims of a convicted criminal because our legislation does not provide enough protection to him from that. 
The only justice the only thing that is just and right and that is fitting in the zeitgeist of the times apart from the Government of the invisible horse apart from the Government that is all hat and no horse and apart from the Government that has a “Gangnam Style” of governance is the very last piece of legislation amended by this Statutes Amendment Bill and that is the Wine Act. It will be right for Christmas. What a pity there is not a technical amendment that allows provision of enough wine for all New Zealanders who are celebrating this season and wondering what it is that has hit them and wondering what sort of Government they have got. It is not interested in dealing with the big decisions and making the big calls that are going to really make a difference. This will be a bill that people will look to and say “It is time to drown our sorrows.” so the amendment to the Wine Act 2003 is in every bit fitting in that regard. But we leave our lawmaking duties this side of Christmas again disappointed and feeling flat that the big issues that confront this country and the people in it have gone unaddressed and unattended. That is the disappointing thing about this. 
That is why as I rise to make this call on this piece of legislation I look forward—hopefully like the rest of us and certainly like those on this side of the House—to a year next year in which we can get to grips with the real issues not just the technical amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act that is in this bill but real changes that are going to make a real difference that are going to give people a helping hand that are going to give people a hand-up and that are going to give people a chance to make a difference to improve their incomes to improve their lot and to provide for their families and their loved ones in a true spirit of giving and Christmas joy. That is what we needed at this time—to leave our lawmaking duties this side of Christmas in a spirit of hope and with a sense that we could do something meaningful and real. 
But this bill is not that bill. It absolutely sums up this Government. It is the Government that speaks big that says that it is riding on a white steed of prosperity and a brighter future but actually it is an invisible horse. This Government while its hands are on the reins is going to lead us nowhere and that is why we need a change. We are 2 years out from it and this bill absolutely encapsulates the spirit of the nation today.