Cosgrove Clayton: Third Readings — 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Cosgrove Clayton: Third Readings — 
[Sitting date: 11 September 2007. Volume:642;Page:11740. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Associate Minister of Justice) 
: 
 I move  
That the Animal Products Amendment Bill the Armed Forces Discipline Amendment Bill the Biosecurity Amendment Bill (No 2) the Broadcasting Amendment Bill (No 2) the Building Societies Amendment Bill the Care of Children Amendment Bill the Charitable Trusts Amendment Bill the Children Young Persons and Their Families Amendment Bill (No 5) the Civil Union Amendment Bill the Companies Amendment Bill (No 3) the Cook Islands Amendment Bill the Corporations (Investigation and Management) Amendment Bill the Defence Amendment Bill (No 2) the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) the Electricity Amendment Bill (No 2) the Energy (Fuels Levies and References) Amendment Bill the Engineering Associates Amendment Bill the Family Courts Amendment Bill the Fencing of Swimming Pools Amendment Bill the Films Videos and Publications Classification Amendment Bill the Friendly Societies and Credit Unions Amendment Bill (No 2) the Gas Amendment Bill (No 2) the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Amendment Bill the Health and Disability Commissioner Amendment Bill the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill the Human Rights Amendment Bill the Industrial and Provident Societies Amendment Bill the Land Transport Amendment Bill (No 3) the Lawyers and Conveyancers Amendment Bill the Legal Services Amendment Bill (No 3) the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill (No 2) the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Amendment Bill (No 2) the Niue Amendment Bill the Personal Property Securities Amendment Bill (No 2) the Privacy Amendment Bill (No 2) the Racing Amendment Bill (No 2) the Radiocommunications Amendment Bill (No 3) the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Amendment Bill (No 2) the Resource Management Amendment Bill the Retirement Villages Amendment Bill (No 2) the Securities Amendment Bill (No 2) the Securities Transfer Amendment Bill the Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill the State Sector Amendment Bill the Status of Children Amendment Bill the Tokelau Amendment Bill the Trade in Endangered Species Amendment Bill and the Volunteers Employment Protection Amendment Bill be now read a third time 
. I am advised that technically the bill that was formerly the Statutes Amendment Bill no longer exists and that it is now divided into its component parts and becomes 48 separate bills. Thankfully—and I am sure to the House’s relief—I am further advised that the traditional practice is that I am not required to read the whole motion. 
I take this opportunity to thank the members of the Government Administration Committee who have been instrumental in the passage of the Statutes Amendment bills. Statutes Amendment bills cover a wide range of subject matters and this involves some unique challenges. This particular bill contained amendments to originally some 50 Acts covering subject areas as diverse as health and disability securities law and company law. Amendments contained in Statutes Amendment bills do not by their nature address significant policy issues. Rather these bills provide a vehicle for minor non-controversial and technical amendments to Acts so that legislation works effectively and can be responsive to necessary change. Some of the improvements brought about by these bills include the following: modernising the language used in the Defence Act 1990 to keep pace with terminology currently in use streamlining procedural requirements for those seeking relief from the court under the Children Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 to make the court process more straightforward and accessible and streamlining the nomination advisory panel meetings under the Racing Act 2003 to achieve greater efficiencies. Some small cross-referencing errors—for example in the Land Transport Act 1998—have also been corrected. 
Since the bill was introduced to the House some changes have been made to it. An amendment to the Real Estate Agents Act 1976 initially proposed in this bill has now been removed from it and will be considered as part of the wider review of that Act that is currently under way. As I foreshadowed in the second reading another proposed amendment to the Public Audit Act 2001 in relation to the Register of Pecuniary Interests of Members of Parliament has been removed from the bill. This is because some parties no longer support the amendment to the Public Audit Act 2001. The nature of a Statutes Amendment Bill is that all included amendments must be supported by all members of the House. Where this is not the case the amendment drops out. This is proper and the normal way of things for Statutes Amendment bills. 
The bill was added to by inclusion of a further amendment to the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to Watercare Services Ltd which provides that parties wishing to carry out works on or in relation to Watercare Services Ltd water-supply assets must meet the same requirements as if they were carrying out works on water-supply assets of local authorities. 
These few examples demonstrate the value of Statutes Amendment bills as a vehicle for making minor technical and non-controversial changes to statutes where required. Few of the amendments referred to above would have received the necessary priority in the House if they were stand-alone amendments. However gathered together in a Statutes Amendment Bill they assist in achieving an aim of all members present to keep the law up to date accurate and user-friendly. 
My thanks go to the many officials who worked on the various amendments to the bill. Again I thank the members of the Government Administration Committee and its very able chair for their speedy and helpful deliberations on the bill. I thank all members of the House for the dispassionate manner in which this bill and all such Statutes Amendment bills are considered. Comment is often made about the adversarial nature of this House but these bills are a good reminder that this House regularly works in a more considered and cooperative way to get the business of the House completed. I commend the bill to the House.