Rich Katherine: Veterinarians Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Rich Katherine: Veterinarians Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:628;Page:910] 
KATHERINE RICH (National) 
: 
 What an inspirational contribution that was. I think that people sitting at home listening to this debate can rest easy knowing that with people on the Primary Production Committee like Doug Woolerton David Carter and Phil Heatley they have strong advocates there. Pet owners of this nation can feel happy that they have people on that committee who are just as passionate about their pets as they are. 
We have heard a number of members discuss the sad case of Bianca Parker-Green the sulphur-crested cockatoo. I think we should rename this part the “Bianca part” because this whole part is really about how we deal with complaints against vets. We should really refer to this part as the one that deals with what happens when vets go bad. This is where New Zealanders who have— 
R Doug Woolerton 
: When they go ape! 
KATHERINE RICH 
: Mr Woolerton says: “When they go ape!”. It is the part that sets out how complaints will be dealt with and how they will be treated and the steps that the Veterinary Council goes through when it receives valid complaints about the treatment that some vets in this country have delivered. 
So I will speak this evening about the complaints assessment committee. I would like to make a few comparisons between the set-up that the bill will put in place for the complaints assessment committee and the set-up that we have for select committees in this Parliament. One of the things I am unsure about is the power that the complaints assessment committee will have. I would like members to turn to clause 35A “Power to call for information or documents” which states: “… a complaints assessment committee may by written notice require any person to provide to the committee any papers documents records or things.” Just as a small aside I would like the Minister in the chair the Hon Parekura Horomia to stand and tell us what is meant by the word “things”. Since we are talking about vets the mind boggles about some of the “things” that could be called upon. 
If we look at the power this assessment committee has we see that it has stronger powers than a parliamentary select committee. People who have followed a similar inquiry—or complaint as such—within Parliament at the moment will have been watching the TVNZ inquiry. One of the things the select committee found was that even though it could invite people to appear before the committee or could write to people such as Susan Wood Bill Ralston or Paul Holmes there really was no requirement for any of those people to attend. But if we liken the powers that this complaints assessment committee will have we see that it will have the legal right to require any person to attend a committee. So we have the situation of the complaints assessment committee having stronger rights than a parliamentary select committee. I wonder why that is. I would like the Minister to take a call and explain why the complaints assessment committee has stronger powers than a parliamentary select committee. 
As one of the previous speakers pointed out when talking about the Bianca incident the owners of that cockatoo felt that they were coming to the highest court in the land to put forward their views. I would agree with that. Yet here we have the situation whereby a very very minor court—if we could call it that—the complaints assessment committee will have stronger powers than a parliamentary select committee. That TVNZ inquiry has called person after person to appear and those people have declined to come. Yet we will say to vets that if they are in the gun if there is a complaint about them the complaints assessment committee will have the power to call absolutely anybody as it makes an assessment of those complaints. I do not think that is right. I think the Minister needs to explain why he is satisfied that the assessment committee has stronger powers than a select committee.