Warren-Clark AngieANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour): It's a pleasure to rise and talk about the Domestic Violence—Victims' Protection Bill. As other colleagues have mentioned I'd like to thank you Jan Logie for the work that you do and have done for many many years in this field and for this very good bill.I would like to start with the fact that this bill came to the House in the 51st Parliament. It came to the House on International Working Women's Day. I read the Hansard and I was absolutely proud of this House and the stance that each and every speaker made and the statements they made about domestic violence. I was proud that day to look at all the members and to think Yes. They get it. They understand the issue and they're going to have a solution." In fact reading the Hansard I would like to quote the Hon Amy Adams Minister of Justice on that day and this is what she said: "You know I have been an employer. I have run businesses. What you know when you run businesses is that your staff are your biggest asset and frankly it is just good business and good economics to look after them. It is not about doing something because you have to do it; it is about investing in the people who pay you far more in dividend when they have a happy and productive and successful life. But I also know as a mother of young children who has had to balance things that when businesses are prepared to be flexible with you it engenders a loyalty and a commitment and a productivity that I have always thought paid itself off in spades." So that is what I was expecting from the National Party. That was what I was hoping for: some compassion—Hon Judith Collins: Don't look at me. I'm not Amy Adams.ANGIE WARREN-CLARK: Ha ha! I'm looking beyond you ma'am. This is what I was expecting and hoping for and this is what I was calling for in this House when I worked on the front line of a domestic violence service—a women's refuge. [Interruption]Kieran McAnulty: Keep going mate. Don't worry about them.ANGIE WARREN-CLARK: Thank you. So the thing that has constantly surprised me with what I hear tonight from that party is about the cost to the employer—the cost to the employer. I too am a business owner in my other life. The cost to the employer is the loss of good staff. The cost to the employer is the loss in the workplace dare I say it of a staff member being killed. The loss is going to organise and have to prepare for a new staff member—to train that staff member to replace that staff member. These are the things that actually cost businesses. I notice that the New Zealand Public Service Association wrote a report in 2014. Domestic violence costs employers an estimated $368 million. The cost of replacement workers within that and the training for them is $153 million. So when we are told by the Opposition that this is an economic argument I dispute that. I dispute it absolutely because we know that when we take care of our staff when we protect them when we support them and when we treat them with respect and dignity then they are more productive they're more loyal they're better staff and also they're safe and that is part of this as well. We have 41 percent of domestic violence victims in paid work. That cost to employers is $3371 annually per employer. There is a loss of productivity there's cover for sick days there's recruiting and training—it goes on. But I want to talk to you about the cost of the employee and what it takes her to get to a place of safety. In my experience working in the field of domestic violence I have worked with many many women many who have had brilliant employers and we were always very very grateful for those employers because it eased the way for our women and their children to be safe. It absolutely eased the way.Let me tell you about an employer who knew that something was wrong. This woman had confided in a number of people they had seen a very scary man come to the workplace and they didn't know what to do and they didn't know how to have the conversation. Eventually that woman left her partner and advised her employer that yes she needed help with domestic violence. They rang the refuge on her behalf and they hooked her up with us and we put her into the safe house. She was very lucky in that they gave her paid time off. They organised a transfer for her to another city because he was stalking her and terrifying her. They helped her with her relocation. They helped her when she moved to that new community with ongoing counselling. They were a brilliant employer. That woman left with a moko. She had been working for that employer for 20-something years. She left with her moko. She had to organise her new living arrangements. She had to go into Work and Income around her moko. She had to do a whole pile of medical treatment. She had to go and do all sorts of things that took about seven days. They paid her and she was lucky for that. But I have worked with many women who have just said "It is too hard and I need to give up my work." and they've gone on a benefit. Some of you here may have had a relationship breakdown—not in the nature of violence I hope. Fifty percent of your assets go at that point. Can you imagine in an intimate partner - violence relationship it's much more than 50 percent. You're too damned terrified. So you need to find things. You need to get furniture.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Order!ANGIE WARREN-CLARK: Sorry ma'am. You certainly need to find all sorts of things. There are things that need to happen that are very difficult. They have to see lawyers. They have to see the police. They have to spend time in doctors' offices often and they have to go and see Work and Income and confess what has happened to them. All of these things are things that these women need to do in order to get safe and it takes time and a good employee is gone from your workplace because of it.So I am delighted that across this side of the House our coalition Government is going to support this. I am delighted that we are not just trying to do good; we're actually putting it into legislation so that those bad employers those employers who don't care or those employers who just don't know what to do will know what to do and we will begin to have a more honest conversation about family violence. We will begin to have a more honest opportunity for women and children to leave if they need to and in doing so we show that we all care and we hope to eliminate domestic violence from our country. Thank you."