Woods Megan: Advanced Technology Institute Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Woods Megan: Advanced Technology Institute Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 13 September 2012. Volume:683;Page:5258. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr MEGAN WOODS (Labour—Wigram) 
: 
 We have heard from many people about why it is that there might be a good reason for the Government wanting to rush the Advanced Technology Institute Bill through. As a member of the Education and Science Committee which this legislation is trying to be rushed through I would like to take a call on this and I would like to echo my colleague Gareth Hughes’ call for someone on the Government benches to stand up to take a call and to tell us why it is that the Government is proceeding with undue haste. As my colleague Kris Faafoi beside me has been reminding me there is no dignity in haste and we have absolutely no explanation from members opposite why it is that they want to proceed with such haste. 
This is a bill that Labour was willing to support. In our substantive speeches—and I am not going to stray into the substantive parts of the legislation—all members on this side foreshadowed some very serious questions that we wanted to see answered at the select committee. To deny that opportunity for this Parliament to go through its process and have those questions examined by the people who have real expertise is an absolute travesty. Getting this legislation right is a delicate balance. It is a delicate balance of the scientific community industry and Government working together. So far this whole process in setting up the Advanced Technology Institute has been weighted in favour of the Government. The select committee process is the very part of the process where it is that science and industry could come together to make sure that the outcomes that we are all seeking from the establishment of this institute can be achieved. We have no ability to answer in a meaningful way the very serious questions that were raised in this debate. 
If we can compare the setting up of the Advanced Technology Institute with the setting up of the Crown research institutes 20 years ago we see that this is a hugely speedy process. Setting up and dismantling the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and setting up the Crown research institutes as a consequence of that dismantling was a process that was hugely consultative. There was input from a large range of people. Why is it that the Government is trying to deny the process and the opportunity to have that consultation and to have people to input into it? We are just more than a little perplexed on this side of the House. We are dealing with a piece of legislation that will transfer people’s employment. We are dealing with people’s jobs. We are dealing with the way in which science is done. And this is not just tinkering around the edges. There is no need to be changing this. What this legislation is doing is creating Industrial Research Ltd as a subsidiary of a new Crown entity and transferring some of the functions of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment to it. Why is it that you would need to proceed with haste? There is nothing that is going to be done within this new organisation that cannot be done until this new entity called the Advanced Technology Institute is put in place. The reason for haste just does not exist. 
As my colleague David Cunliffe has already alluded to what we have seen from Government members throughout the history of the Advanced Technology Institute sort of being suggested is some rush to the finish line by the Government which we do not understand and which is casting serious doubt on why the Government really wants to push this through and on whether this is something we should be supporting. We saw Treasury having to put the brakes on the Ministry of Science and Innovation and its papers in the Budget documents because Treasury knew that the Ministry of Science and Innovation was putting together a time line that was simply unachievable. So there we have it. Treasury put the brakes on it so why now is this Parliament trying to speed up that process deny proper process and deny the opportunity to get the very best outcome that we can? 
We have heard from many members on this side of the House who are affronted that people with real knowledge real expertise and a real ability to input into the creation of this Advanced Technology Institute are being denied their voice and denied their ability to have a say. What it is is we would like to hear more from the Minister of Science and Innovation on why this is. He is remaining strangely silent. Members of the Education and Science Committee from the Government side are also very silent on this question. I would like to hear from the chair Nikki Kaye on why it is that this legislation is being rushed through that committee because I would like to point out to members of this House who might not be aware that actually I think this is the first piece of legislation that this committee has had to consider this term. It is not like it is a committee that is being rushed off its feet in terms of examining legislation. The need to rush this through just does not make sense. Something does not stack up and we would like Government members to take a call. From lack of legislation going through this committee is there all of a sudden going to be a need to push through other legislation in this committee—for example are we going to have to get the charter schools legislation through at breakneck speed as well? So this is the kind of consideration that we have to have. What is the real agenda of why it is the people’s voice is being denied real input? 
In my speech when I talked about this legislation—again I will not be delving into the substantive parts of the legislation—I talked about this actually being an important moment in our history and it being absolutely vital that we get it right. I made that statement with real gravity. It is something that I believe personally and it is something that I believe passionately—that if we do not get this right our economic future is not assured. The only way we will get it right is to give the people who work in industry and the people who work in science the opportunity to have their say. I do not think that officials and parliamentarians are the only people who can input into this. I am affronted that members opposite have the arrogance to think that those who work at the coalface have nothing to input into how this is going to play out because I for one want to hear what they have to say. I think these are the people who will actually have some real and meaningful things to input into this. But still we have stunned silence from members opposite and not one mention of why that is. We just want to know why the undue haste. We just have blank looks and members opposite unable to even look at us when we are asking this question because they do not have an answer. 
It is an affront to this House and it is not the reason I came into it. I came into this House to represent people and for people to have genuine input into legislation. It is all very well for members opposite to sledge across the House. How about they get to their feet take a call and tell us why it is that they are denying people the right to have input into their legislation. It is very important that we do have scientists scientists who know lots of things like about H2O and water to have an input. I really do urge people to have some kind of input into this. I urge members opposite to take a call and tell us why it is but more than anything I ask that we do not rush this very important moment through the select committee process. It is too important.