Brown Peter: Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill — Second Reading 
Brown Peter: Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:617;Page:13457] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 This bill addresses some serious issues. Right now as we speak there are some New Zealanders and New Zealand families suffering and they need some financial help. New Zealand First is prepared to support that and help them. 
But we have found two errors in the bill already. The first is in clause 2 “Commencement”. It is obviously a mistake for it to state that the bill will be brought in in 2005 so we will put an amendment in my name to delete this clause. [ 
Interruption 
] No I am warning that we are going to put one in. I hope the National Party will support it because it is a quite serious issue. If the Government is bringing in under urgency a bill like this to give financial assistance to families then clearly it would want it to happen immediately. It has made a dreadful mistake. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: Having a bit of a change are you? 
PETER BROWN 
: No we are simply making a change. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: He listened to my speech where I pointed out the mistakes and he’s changing things. 
PETER BROWN 
: I am saying now that we will move an amendment and if the member is at all sincere then he will support it. We propose to omit clause 2 and substitute: “This Act comes into force on the day after the date on which it receives the Royal assent.” It is as simple as that. In other words if members are to sit here until 10 o’clock tonight and all day tomorrow in urgency we might as well do it for some immediate effect—not for something for the year 2005. I think the National Party has suddenly realised there is some merit when we are in urgency in doing something positive. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: We just might think about this one. 
PETER BROWN 
: I invite the member to think about it. It is all very well our rowing about this thing but there are people out there suffering now. [ 
Interruption 
] Oh I am coming to the doormats. Is the member talking about these doormats or those doormats? There are so many doormats around that I am not sure which one the member means. We are coming to the doormats because— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: What’s the difference between a doormat and a laptop? 
PETER BROWN 
: That is too technical for me. I am just a simple sailor. We will move an amendment and I hope members will support it. Clearly the Government will because if it wants to help people it will want that help to take immediate effect. I am hoping United Future will but one never can tell. We will move another amendment too because I was told that Larry Baldock on behalf of United Future went on Radio Rhema yesterday the Christian radio station— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: And the Prime Minister? 
PETER BROWN 
: No he was with our young guy Craig McNair. I told Craig McNair not to be too vicious—to take it easy. Larry Baldock said there was much merit in the definition of “family” in Craig McNair’s Commission for the Family Bill and that had we previously put it up in the House his party would have supported it. Craig McNair pointed out that we had done that. So we will add the definition of “family” from that bill: “A family is defined as a family group including an extended family (a) in which there is at least one adult member; and (b) in which the members have a biological or legal relationship.” [ 
Interruption 
] The title is the “Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill”. We think it only appropriate that a proper definition of the family should be in the bill. Unless members want to accept the liberal definition currently in the Families Commission Act which I cannot readily find— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Just make it up! 
PETER BROWN 
: I should just make it up. The definition in that Act is very liberal. I have given the United Future members the opportunity to put their money where their mouth was yesterday on Radio Rhema. Surely Larry Baldock would not tell Radio Rhema one thing and then when there is an amendment to have an appropriate definition of “family” in this bill vote against it. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Of course he would! 
PETER BROWN 
: He would not. He is a man of honour. We are all honourable people here. We do not go on Radio Rhema and tell porkies do we? Never! I know that the National Party will give me hell because I am bailing the Government out. I am giving it the chance to get this bill right and have it come in on the right date which is after it receives the royal assent. I know that the Government will take that seriously and I know that Larry Baldock would not dare say one thing on Radio Rhema then vote against it in the House. That would be a mortal sin would it not? I would have thought it would be terrible. 
Simon Power 
: Who is Craig McNair? 
PETER BROWN 
: He is the youngest most enterprising MP in this Parliament. He is one of the most sincere people members will ever be privileged to meet but Mr Power does not keep that sort of company does he? I do; it rubs off on me. I meet all these sincere people and there is none more sincere than Craig McNair. Whilst we are talking about him I was proud to sit in this seat when he took on the whole House the other day on the Commission for the Family Bill. I have never felt prouder. I have felt pretty proud listening to Winston Peters but when that young guy spoke and took on the House on his own I felt really proud to be part of his team. That is who Craig McNair is. I tell members that he is very much up-and-coming. That is enough about Craig McNair; I will get back to the bill. 
We want this bill to come into immediate effect. We support it but we want it to come in immediately and we will be moving amendments in the Committee stage accordingly. We know there are people out there who are hurting. We know that this bill will be of some assistance to them. The aims in this bill are worthwhile. As I say we looked through it and found two errors and no doubt we will find a few more. [ 
Interruption 
] The second one was the definition of the family. Even Mr Williamson would agree that the definition in the Families Commission Act is not adequate. We are talking about the Future Directions (Working for Families) Bill. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: The Mafia would qualify wouldn’t it? 
PETER BROWN 
: It just misses including a gang as a family but two prostitutes living with their pimp would be a family under the definition in the Families Commission Act. We cannot have that in this bill so we will put up an amendment to reflect that. 
I finish by saying there are some good aims in the bill. It deals with payment of funeral grants where there is a surviving spouse or children children’s funeral grants accommodation supplements disability allowances and all the social security payments in schedule 2. Well they should come in immediately. I think Mr Maharey is nodding there. We will bail the Government out and give it a chance to get it right. We told it earlier on: “Do it once and do it right.” and this is its opportunity. We will be studying this bill as it goes through the Committee stage and amending other sections as we find fault. I hope we do not find too many but there are two for a start. My throat is getting sore so I will conclude by saying that we support this bill and we will be moving two amendments at least when we get to the Committee stage. Hopefully there will not be too many more but we will be advising members accordingly. We look forward to the unanimous support of all parties. Members should have a little bit of compassion. If the bill is to pass let us get it right. Let us get the date right; let it apply urgently—when it gets royal assent.