Bennett Paula: Employment Relations Amendment Bill — In Committee Recommittal Third Reading 
Bennett Paula: Employment Relations Amendment Bill — In Committee Recommittal Third Reading 
[Volume:651;Page:476] 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 I am glad of the opportunity to take a call in the third reading of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. This is my first time of standing up in this House in this new Government so I thank New Zealand for the mandate they gave us and say that we are humbled by that. 
I stand up today and thank John Key and in particular Kate Wilkinson for believing in New Zealanders—for taking back that mandate and having belief in New Zealanders and their abilities to get ahead. This is a great day for New Zealand. It is a great day for moving forward and a great day for us to recognise the abilities the talents and the skills of New Zealanders. This is a day when we actually take back a belief in their abilities to get ahead and understand what this country is about. It is about reward for effort it is about guts and determination and it is about people standing up for themselves. It is about recognising that a person has a part to play in society—an individual responsibility—but that a collective mentality comes with that and an acknowledgment that we all have a role to play. 
This National-led New Zealand Government believes in peoples’ abilities to get ahead and make the most of themselves. We understand that we have had 9 years of Labour. We understand that we have had 9 years of beating people down. We understand that we have had 9 years of people being treated like victims and of their having no belief in their abilities to get ahead and make something of themselves. We understand that all some young people know is an interventionist Government that can only control them and that actually controls all aspects of their lives. But they are here and they have given us a mandate to stand up for them and believe in their abilities and back them to make a difference in their lives. 
I actually do not feel sorry for New Zealand employees. I actually believe in their abilities and believe they can advocate for themselves in a way to go forward. I acknowledge that not everyone has a strong voice and a way to go forward so I actually believe that unions have a place in standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. I am thrilled that this bill stands up for New Zealand rights and for New Zealanders to stand against racial and sexual discrimination. I say to the New Zealanders out there who are wondering where they are going and what they will do: “Step up!” and I am proud of a bill that gives them the ability to step up. To those people who want to give it a go who want to get ahead who want to take a bit of a risk and a chance and who want someone to take a risk and a chance on them I say we the National-led Government will back them in that. We will support those people to get ahead. We will back them to step up and to take that risk and this bill is part of that process. This bill will play a vital role in recognising that New Zealanders know how to get ahead—know that it takes a bit of guts determination and hard work—and that they want to step up and be counted for it. 
I understand that for some of those young people this will be a little bit nerve-wracking. They are used to being told what to do how to do it and how to live under a prescriptive regime. This is a new Government this is a new way forward but it is one that backs them. It backs them in their abilities instead of backing a socialist regime that will tell them what to do. In fact I say thank you to Kate Williamson for recognising that New Zealand employees want an opportunity and want to step up and be counted. They want to get a shot at that and I tell them that their rights will be treated respectfully. I say to those New Zealanders who find there are ways in which the situation is not working out for them to stand up because we will back them. We will back them for those odd things that are a problem. 
New Zealand delivered us a result on 8 November; people delivered a result that said they wanted to stand up for being New Zealanders and for their way forward. New Zealanders said they wanted to get back to some of the basics of “a good day’s work for a good day’s pay; give me a go and I will step up for it.” That is what this bill is delivering to them. I say to beneficiaries out there and to those who are dependent on the Government for their income that we will back them to take a chance to go for that job and to get an employer to give them a go. There will be no stand-down periods for them if that relationship does not work out. This bill will open up opportunities for people to get up and give it a go. I will back them every time to do that. 
I finish by saying thank you to New Zealand. I say thank you to John Key and to Kate Wilkinson for leading this—for showing us the way forward and for backing New Zealanders who at the end of the day know how to move forward and how to make a difference.