Robson Matt: Civil Union Bill — First Reading 
Robson Matt: Civil Union Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:618;Page:13948] 
Hon MATT ROBSON (Deputy Leader—Progressive) 
: 
 The Progressive caucus—Jim Anderton and myself—had no problems in supporting this bill from the beginning once we knew the details of it. It is quite a simple measure for us as our policy is to oppose all forms of oppressive discrimination; that is what both this bill and the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill do and that is why we support them. 
I have heard a number of comments today on the nature of marriage being the same for thousands of years. That is absolute nonsense. I direct those people to read a book like  
The Origin of the Family Private Property and the State 
 by Friedrich Engels and have a look at how the shape and form of marriage have changed over thousands of years. From primitive communism through to slave society through to feudal society through to capitalism it has changed its shape at a number of times and in a number of ways. In fact the big role of this Parliament in terms of women’s rights has been to turn marriage from an oppressive institution that treated women as second-class citizens as property into one as close to equality as we can get—and there is still a long way to go. 
On the question of homosexual rights it has been the role of this Parliament finally to recognise thousands of years of persecution oppression and downright discrimination in every form that one can find it. When we have risen to the occasion and recognised discrimination for what it is we have been a noble Parliament. But when we clothe our opposition in sanctimonious talk about the joys of all forms of marriage then we are purely ignoring our history. To New Zealanders in same-sex relationships or different-sex relationships who have the closest and most intimate relations but have often been legal strangers these bills will bring justice. They also complete the obligations that Parliament set itself in the Human Rights Act and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act to remove discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and marital status. We also meet our obligations in international law to remove oppressive discrimination wherever we find it. 
This legislation is in the tradition of a long line of measures to lift social economic and political discrimination. Whether Parliament was looking at universal suffrage in terms of the right of everybody in New Zealand over a certain age to vote whether it was looking at providing votes for women or whether it was repealing the Blasphemy Act which was used to suppress freedom of speech Parliament acted nobly. When we brought in legislation such as the Public Safety Conservation Act of 1932 we brought in repressive legislation that took away people’s rights. When we brought in the Employment Contracts Act of 1990 we brought in repressive legislation against workers rightly organising to promote the needs of their own members. What this Parliament is doing is in the tradition of Parliaments that look to remove discrimination. 
I would also ask all members in this Parliament who are running a ruler over legislation or practices to see whether they are discriminatory to have a look at other legislation that we are bringing in. I remind members that a bill has been tabled called the Identity (Citizenship and Travel Documents) Bill. That bill hits at the rights of migrants in New Zealand. The Security Intelligence Service of New Zealand will be able to go to a Minister and say that New Zealanders who have travel documents and passports are a threat. When we look at anti-discriminatory legislation at legal rights let us have some consistency in our legislation. 
Finally what actually strengthens relationships whether relationships under the Civil Union Bill or those in the nature of marriage whether originating in a civil registration ceremony or in a religious ceremony is the support that society gives them. Therefore legislation like the 4 weeks’ leave provision and the Families Commission Act and practices policies and Budgets such as we have had that aim at ending poverty and lifting up everybody in New Zealand to a situation where they are independent and able to protect and help their families are truly the types of legislation and policies that mean that we remove discrimination in New Zealand.