Fenton Darien: Local Government (Public Libraries) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Fenton Darien: Local Government (Public Libraries) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 07 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6425. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
DARIEN FENTON (Labour) 
: 
 First of all I want to thank the colleagues in the House who made sensible and reasonable contributions to this debate. I am really glad that this bill the Local Government (Public Libraries) Amendment Bill was drawn from the ballot even though it is very clear where the National Party is going with it because I think what it has done tonight is reveal the real agenda of the National Party. It has revealed those members’ real agenda around the local government reform. It has made it very clear that deep down in their hearts they do not like libraries they hate books they hate people having access to knowledge and they think people should pay for it. They think this should be about user-pays—never mind the people who cannot afford to pay. 
What we have heard from this Government tonight is if you do not have access to a computer—I mean if you do not have access to a computer because you cannot afford one broadband is no use to you. Broadband is no use to people at home if they cannot have it and yet we have this whole programme of e-government. It is all about information provision online by the government to the citizens of New Zealand but this Government wants to make sure that that is impossible. 
I am really looking forward to seeing and hearing about some of those members visiting their local libraries and seeing—what was the word you used about the librarians—the anger the rage of a thousand librarians raining down on them because it will. I think the attitude the sniggering and the sneering that has gone on from the Government tonight shows nothing but contempt for those people who work in our libraries who are committed to what is a public good. 
I have got a very very interesting question to ask the members of the Government. Are they prepared to cough up for user-pays for the Parliamentary Library? Are they—are they? Are you prepared to have the Parliamentary Library as user-pays? No it is a fair question. Silence. Silence on the other side. So it is fine for the citizens—for the poor citizens—to have to pay for their local library— 
Phil Twyford 
: Who pays for the Parliamentary Library? 
DARIEN FENTON 
: Well who pays for it? Good question. Yes it is a very— 
Hon Member 
: That shut them up. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: Well it did. It absolutely shut them up. 
I thought Nikki Kaye made an attempt at least of making a contribution. I know that she has chaired an inquiry into the digital future of New Zealand and I do know that the Library and Information Association of New Zealand has made a submission on the digital divide—a very very important submission. I am looking forward to Nikki Kaye on her next visit to the Auckland Public Library when she trots along and wanders around showing her support for the library and gets her photo in the paper and all the rest of it—she has just lost the library vote. She has lost the library vote and there will be other members who will be in that same situation. 
There is an old saying that it is well known that libraries are dangerous places. Libraries are dangerous places because they actually help people challenge themselves learn new ideas and actually possibly challenge the status quo. How dangerous is that? This Government wants to shut this down. It does not want the dangerous places called libraries. It does not want ordinary people to have access to knowledge and information and information on the internet because by keeping them shut out of information it can make sure that it controls the future. 
Well I have got news for the Government tonight. This is not the end of this bill. It may be voted down by those members but I can tell all of you in the House that this is not the end of the matter. The librarians of New Zealand will continue to mobilise around this. The citizens of New Zealand and the communities of New Zealand will mobilise around it. They will be outraged when they hear about the appalling speeches from the members of the Government tonight.