Blumsky Mark: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Blumsky Mark: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave for Self-Employed Persons) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:631;Page:2854] 
MARK BLUMSKY (National) 
: 
 I apologise for interrupting Paula Bennett; she was on a lovely roll there. By definition 2170 self-employed persons will be able to apply for the benefit that will be made available—2170 persons will be able to apply. I suppose then if one quietly looks at the facts one could wonder whether maybe this could have been done in the first instance when paid parental leave was brought in in 2002. That was 4 years ago. I suppose if one quietly does the figures on the Minister Ruth Dyson’s numbers—2170—one can work out that in 4 years 8680 people have not been able to receive what she is now suggesting and we are supporting they should receive. 
So I suppose I would love the Minister—if she could take the call—to explain to those 8680 people why she has taken so damn long to get this bill into the House. Those 8680 people have missed out on this opportunity to pick up the paid benefit we are discussing today. I would like to ask the Minister whether in fact she will apologise to those 8680 persons—not just for amongst other things the leaking of the Budget for the stupid microchipping law that may wander its way through the House and for turning many Kiwis into welfare beneficiaries; I believe that the Minister should take this opportunity to apologise to those 8680 persons. In fact if I was going to round up the figure it was 2173 persons which would then work out at 8692. There is an apology coming and I would love to hear the Minister give it. It is a word that I think is foreign to the Labour-led Government. 
I would like to talk about—and I alluded to this before—the fact that I have had the privilege of working personally with some self-employed people. As members may know I currently own a business. I refer here to the example of a woman who is very much of the self-employed ilk. She is one of those wonderful entrepreneurs who is building a future for herself and for this country. She operates a business and I can remember the period during which she was under huge stress and concern when she was trying to run her business while going through her pregnancy and afterwards raising her young child. She had no other income apart from the income she was able to earn herself in her own business so she needed to work. She could not afford the baby care that was available so her husband had to take some time off work and put his own career at risk which was very disappointing. 
I suppose where I am going with this is that I think it is wonderful that this bill also applies to the husband or the other partner. We do not talk enough about the fact that paid parental leave does not apply only to the mother but can also be transferred to the dad. That becomes hugely advantageous because the parents now have the opportunity to plan ahead together for the birth of their children in the knowledge that either one of them will receive up to 14 weeks’ pay to help compensate them for the loss of family income they would have incurred during that period. I think being able to plan for the family in this way gives parents a peace of mind they have not had. 
Again I take the opportunity to congratulate the Labour-led United Future New Zealand First Government on the fact that it has recognised the importance of the self-employed person to New Zealand society. For sure 8680-odd people missed out on this opportunity but at least now the self-employed person is being recognised and we need to applaud the fact that that recognition is now occurring— 
Hon Member 
: Under pressure from National. 
MARK BLUMSKY 
: —under pressure from National.