Mitchell Clayton: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMitchell Clayton: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 08 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11830. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First): It is wonderful to take a call on Part 2 of tonight’s bill the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill. I have to say to Mark Mitchell: “Mate you were putting a glass eye to sleep with that speech.” Let us just try to bring some context back to what we are here to talk about which is the extension of paid parental leave from 22 weeks out to 26 weeks.What I am hearing over there—although it is a bit of fluffery and a little bit of pokery—is that the Government members would like to support this because they can see the sense in it “But you know what we just can’t quite afford it at the moment.” This is what the discussion is all about. Yes we are right on the mark are we not? Except you are not very good at articulating that tonight—the National members just seem to be fighting over a chip like seagulls mate—so let us try to put it very clearly.The reality is that it is going to cost around $100 million per annum to extend paid parental leave out to 26 weeks. If I look at that—$107 million I think somebody is giving me the nod for but we all agree that it is around the $100 million mark. I think the honourable member Iain Lees-Galloway does make a very valid point: building up to the election we were talking about tax cuts that we could no longer afford and they are likely to be on the table for next year—and 0.03 percent of the tax cuts that have been put forward for next year’s Budget is more than enough to pay out on $100 million of paid parental leave.You might not think that that is enough money to find but if you go back through the coffers of the National Government’s decisions over the years you will see that when times were tough when we had a global financial crisis this Government which sits across from us today and says it cannot afford $100 million a year found $1 billion to bail out its South Canterbury Finance mates—$1 billion. When times were so tough and businesses were hitting the wall the Government found $1 billion to go and do that. Just this year when times were so tough it found $27 million to do a flag referendum. It found $16 million to go and invest offshore over in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East there to build an abattoir that gives no benefit to New Zealand businesses. It has found $140 million to go and invest in China’s infrastructure. When this Government decides to find money it knows exactly where to find it.What this comes down to is the Government’s mean-spirited nature in stopping a bill going forward that is going to benefit families and our communities in this country. That is what it comes down to Mr Mitchell not this: “Well we can’t quite afford it.” If I could just bring people’s attention—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): Just come back to the bill.CLAYTON MITCHELL: Twenty-six weeks—that is what it is about and the affordability of it.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): And the movement to 26 weeks from 22. That is what this part is about so let us—[Interruption] Clear the hell out of that. Go on.CLAYTON MITCHELL: I do want to note that when we talk about the OECD when it suits the Government members are the first people to jump up and say: “OECD figures show that we’re at the top 4 percent when it comes to jobs.”The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): This does not really sound much like the part we are talking about. [Interruption] You have spent two-thirds of your time talking about the other bit.CLAYTON MITCHELL: When we talk about paid parental leave the Government says: “It is not in our interest; we are not interested in what the OECD is.” But it is interesting to know that when you look at the 41 countries here New Zealand is currently in the bottom seven when it comes to paid parental weeks given—18 weeks. But in actual fact by the time you look at the average payment rates of all of these countries in the OECD we are in the bottom three countries. We pay out only 47 percent of the average of the rest of the world. These countries that pay out 16 weeks’ paid parental leave or 14 weeks’ paid parental leave invariably give 100 percent of the national average annual salary to take home which doubles that figure. We are still even going to 26 weeks going to be well behind the rest of the world when we compare ourselves with countries in the OECD.This is affordable. This is about our communities. This is about connecting our families. It is about putting priorities back into from the Government’s position actually holding privileged positions to make sure that our families can look after themselves properly. We need to get back to enabling one-income families to support themselves moving forward. We need to get back to families being given the time to spend to connect to bond with their children and to nurture and to breastfeed them. This is what this bill does and I cannot see any justification from this Government’s position to say otherwise.