Fenton Darien: Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Fenton Darien: Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:638;Page:8675] 
DARIEN FENTON (Labour) 
: 
 It is with great pleasure that I rise to take a call on the Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Bill. Although I absolutely support the bill because of its removal of discrimination against women in the armed forces at the same time I also hope we never see an escalation of active combat roles for either women or men. 
It is appropriate in debating Part 1 of this bill that as the bill moves towards becoming law we are also approaching Anzac Day when we celebrate the contribution of those who have served in past conflicts—men and women. This year I will be marching with veterans and proudly wearing the medal of one of the women in my family who served in World War I. It has been wonderful to be given the medal and it is a great honour. Women in those days were restricted from combat roles but we all know and acknowledge the significant contribution that women have made in our defence services over the past years. 
It is interesting to talk with other women relatives about their war experiences. Of course they hated war and the devastation it brought to families but many women saw their experiences during war as liberating which is kind of sad I suppose. They found it liberating because they were able to perform roles and work that previously were restricted to men. Women excelled in those roles. Recently while I was in London I saw an exhibition about the construction of fighter jets during World War II. Every photo showed women operating complex machinery on the planes fitting them out and well in charge of this important war role. But they were not on the front line of course. 
Recruitment of women for the armed forces in New Zealand did not reach substantial numbers until August 1941 when 600 women were serving. The numbers then gradually increased until a peak figure of 8700 was reached in August 1943 and thereafter women were gradually released. But in November 1945 3500 women were still serving in the New Zealand armed forces. 
The participation of women in services during the last world war—and I hope we never have another one—released men for more active armed service just as the entry of women into industry released men for tougher industrial assignments in the armed forces. Those women had great home ties but those home ties were light enough to permit them to participate actively in the war effort. They did so by voluntarily replacing men in paid jobs that had been depleted of labour by recruitment for the forces. 
I am looking forward to Anzac Day and to hearing stories and marching alongside women who played an important role in all the world conflicts we have been involved in. But as I said may we never have to be in that position again. 
Today it is very different. Women already play a full part in the operations of New Zealand’s Defence Force and their contribution is both significant and highly valued. Part 1 of this bill builds on and validates career options for women as well as advancing this Labour-led Government’s commitment to a society that is free from discrimination in all of its ugly forms including discrimination on the basis of gender.  
David Bennett 
: Rubbish! 
DARIEN FENTON 
: I say to David Bennett that we on this side of the House take women’s issues very very seriously. I am proud of the opportunities that the Labour-led Government is building in order for women of all ages and backgrounds to reach their potential. This Government has launched and begun implementing the first-ever Action Plan for New Zealand Women. We have put pay equity back on the agenda which a National Government removed in 1991. We are progressing pay equity within the public sector. We have established the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner within the Human Rights Commission. We have introduced and extended paid parental leave. We have improved access to childcare and out-of-school care. The list just goes on and on. 
What has been very very interesting is seeing the Opposition so desperate for women’s votes that it has been trawling around women’s organisations in a pathetic attempt to convince women that National has changed its attitudes towards women. National’s vote for Part 1 of this bill will not make a difference in convincing women. National will have to work day and night to convince most women in New Zealand of that. It takes more than turning up to shake a few hands and appointing a women’s affairs spokeswoman. 
David Bennett 
: It takes more than a union backing you and that’s all you’ve got. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: I have stood up for women all of my life which is more than that member has done. 
Let us go back to where Judith Collins stands on this issue. In 2003 Judith Collins said that National planned to extinguish the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. She said that it was time to get rid of the sexist relic. What has changed? What has changed is that National realises that women see it as a hard-nosed uncaring party so it set out to convince people that really it is nice cuddly and quite soft. But my question is whether Bob Clarkson represented the real National Party views about women when he said that New Zealand women should have more babies—one for him one for her and one for New Zealand. He said that. Is that not amazing? It is good to know that at least this Government is on the side of all women and is standing up for them. That is why we have adopted this bill and that is why I am proud to be speaking for the Government on it. 
It removes the last exemption for sexual discrimination in employment matters applying to the armed forces by repealing section 33 of the Human Rights Act. Just in case members opposite do not understand section 22 of the Human Rights Act states that it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone in employment by reason of his or her sex. However in section 33 there is a specific exemption that allows preferential treatment in the armed forces based on sex where duty of serving in an active combat role is involved. It is not an outright prohibition on women serving in combat roles but rather allows men to be preferred in certain situations. 
We have had a very progressive Defence Force since we had a Labour-led Government leading this country. In 2000 it formally rescinded in a directive this policy of not allowing women to serve in combat roles in order to adopt a more inclusive approach to the employment of women in combat roles. This bill will bring legislation in line with reality and send a strong message that women are to be considered equal with men. 
The bill will also enable New Zealand to ratify its obligations under the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. I took note the other night when the member Dr Wayne Mapp described the committee as a tinpot organisation. Dr Mapp should get real. It is an important organisation. He should go out and tell women’s organisations that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women is a tinpot organisation and see what sort of response he gets. 
The Government has an important and impressive human rights record. Overall New Zealand has just 10 reservations to five human rights treaties. What the new National Party spokesperson on women’s affairs Jackie Blue perhaps does not understand is that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights. Those pertaining to equality for women are not just about women’s affairs; they cover the whole spectrum. They are things like the student loan scheme which the Government introduced that assists the unequal debt burden that women incur. There are many other areas where this Government has done work that impacts on women. I am pleased that this Government along with New Zealand First is doing work on low pay and the casualisation of the New Zealand workforce. When Jackie Blue was first appointed to her shiny new spokesperson role she said she needed to study up on women’s issues. I was astounded to hear that. Perhaps she could begin by studying a little bit of history and accepting—or maybe even apologising for—the damage that past National Governments wrought on women particularly in employment. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Pay equity. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: In pay equity but I was also insulted to hear the co-leader of the National Party Bill English attacking the Government for not defending home-care workers in his speech last week. Well hello! Those home-care workers—those women workers whom National has suddenly developed a huge concern for—were being paid less than $4 an hour during the 1990s. This Government has increased the minimum wage seven times since it became the Government in 1999. Over 100000 workers mostly women workers—and yes those low-paid workers in home care—under this Government are being paid nearly three times what they were being paid in 1996. Many home-care workers are still being employed as contractors. If we are talking about women’s rights it was very interesting to me—with my private bill on the minimum pay for contractors at select committee—when members of the women’s division of Federated Farmers said they supported it and were attacked by that member David Bennett for not knowing what they were talking about. [ 
Interruption 
] Well of course that member opposed the bill there were no surprises there. But people who are concerned about women have to show they mean it.