Dean JacquiHon JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki): Meanwhile back in the 21st century I'd like to pick up on the debate on the second reading of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill and just say to the House that we have been treated this afternoon in the second reading of this bill to a degree of hysteria that is seldom seen in this House. I want to thank the Green member Jan Logie sincerely for reminding us what life was like back in the 1950s 1960s and 1970s.Well I'm going to tell you a small anecdote of a story. It was last Friday night. I'd been to a function. I was in Alexandra which is about as New Zealand as you can get. There are small businesses from one corner to the next of Alexandra. It is a very very very quintessentially New Zealand town. So the sun was shining—unusually—for the moment. I'd been to a function and I returned to my motel to kick my shoes off make a cup of tea and bask in the window seat as I did at 7 o'clock at night. Across the road there was—because I was in town—a motorcycle shop and right next door to that was a light engineering business and sitting out in the sunshine at 7 o'clock at night were a couple of bosses having a beer. Guess what? They had beers for their workers—yes.Hon Member: Seriously?Hon JACQUI DEAN: Yes. The workers and the bosses—except they don't call themselves that; what they do is they call themselves the team—were sitting out in the sunshine at the back of work enjoying a beer and a yarn after work on a Friday. How can this happen under current employment legislation? How can this even be that there is a trusting warm relationship?There was a young fellow there who must have been an apprentice. How can that even be under the current legislation which is so very bad so very awful and so oppressive—so oppressive? If you listen to the words of the Green members who dwell in the 1970s how can they even take part because workers are the downtrodden? Well that is not what I saw and that is not what I see in the 21st century New Zealand that I know very well. All of this was happening ladies and gentlemen members of the Government the Greens New Zealand First and Labour under current legislation.So that leads me to the next logical question about this piece of legislation which is: if it is the case—and they really want to hear what I have to say now so they've gone Shush!" They've gone "Shush!" because actually they're waiting to hear what I have to say. So what I have to say is that the New Zealand economy is doing very well and they don't ever shy away from taking credit for that but why is the New Zealand economy doing so very well? Largely because we have got flexible labour laws which is giving business the confidence to hire to invest and to expand their business to the point where we now have a—what? What is the unemployment rate in New Zealand? I know the Government members know what it is. What is the rate of unemployment in New Zealand? Oh I'll tell them what it is. It's down to 3.7 percent—Hon Members: Nine.Hon JACQUI DEAN: —3.9 percent which is the lowest unemployment in New Zealand for a number of years. OK take the credit—you normally do in question time. So then when you get up in this House get up and tell us what is the problem the Government is trying to fix? What is the problem that this Government is trying to fix? I'll tell you what it is—I'll tell you what it is: it's to keep their coalition members happy. That's the problem that this bill is legislating for. That is all about Labour needing to keep its union mates happy. It's in the bill. It's in the purpose of the bill right up front. Labour needs to keep its donors its associate member affiliates—they need to keep them happy. But better than that they need to keep their New Zealand First mates happy and that is why we have got the amendments which have been brought to the House. Labour has been forced to back down to its union members and say "Sorry sorry. We wanted to get it over the line comrades but we couldn't because New Zealand First would not buy it." So that is why we have got the 90-day trial back in for businesses under 20 employees and bring it on I say because that has been a really successful initiative.And over the other side of the House where the Green member today amongst all the weeping and wailing that was going on gave us a very instructive quote where she was able to say that if she had her way—or they as a party had their way—the 90-day trial would have remained out. So here we have the internal struggle the internal fights and the long discussions in Cabinet—which we were helpfully told about today by New Zealand First who sort of open their mouths and think a little bit later than that. So now we have revealed that there is a lot of internal strife as these parties seeks to pay their masters. That's what this bill is about.This bill is not about fixing a problem because we have a strong economy still—say thank you. Say thank you to National for that strong economy. Thank you. We have an engaged workforce with flexible conditions thanks to National. Say thank you National. Thank you National. Yes. For a whole year under this Government who have hated the legislation and the oppressed workers and all that kind of hyperbole we've been hearing all afternoon which has not been instructive—underneath that all we've had a whole year more—14 months nearly—of industrial relations legislation as it stands.So I want the Minister in due course in the next reading and I want members to get in there and identify what is the problem they are trying to fix except for—Hon Scott Simpson: Low union membership.Hon JACQUI DEAN: Thank you—low union membership.So I just want to traverse very briefly some of the language that we've heard in this House today because it's been quite good. So a very new and arguably naïve Labour member stood up this afternoon and said "This is the best piece of legislation we've brought to the House." She went on to say "I cannot understand why any business would not be happy." That's what a Labour member said. Well I would suggest that that Labour member take a look at business confidence in New Zealand. The Government can argue the contrary all they like but business confidence is being impacted. Hiring intentions are being impacted.I get out there. My colleagues get out there. We talk to small business. We talk to medium business. We talk to large business. Hiring intentions are being impacted. People are not taking on apprentices because they simply do not know what the future holds for them as an employer and so it is easier in that vacuum of information and uncertainty just not to take on an apprentice just for now. They're going to hold off. Now tell me that's good for productivity. Tell me that's good for our economy.And what about the 90-day trial and the impact that has had on young people's lives? I'm sure the Green Party—if the Green Party were speaking they would be eloquent on young people and employment. The 90-day trial was the best thing for business. And I know it gripes them to have it back in but my goodness it gives a chance to young people and somebody out there tell me that's a bad thing. It is not a bad thing. So I challenge this Government as they traverse their pay back to their union mates and union funders—I challenge them to truly justify in the economic conditions we have now and the rate of unemployment we have now just why this legislation is even necessary."