Curran Clare: Consumer Law Reform Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Curran Clare: Consumer Law Reform Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 11 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7425. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) 
: 
 I would like to take a short call on this bill the Consumer Law Reform Bill. This piece of legislation this piece of law is a good piece of law. I want to make a couple of comments about the good work the Commerce Committee has done on it. I want to particularly mention the officials because they have worked very hard to make this bill work for consumers and they have put an awful lot of effort into it. They do deserve a special mention for that. The Commerce Committee works very hard on the legislation that comes before it and it works cooperatively and collaboratively around most bills that sit before it. I do want to make that point. 
The point about this piece of legislation is that it is about looking at how in tough economic times you can make sure that consumers are protected. That is very important. It is unfortunate though that at this very moment consumers are not being protected in another environment. Pointing to the importance of this bill this bill is a good strong piece of legislation in the making. It may be that we can have a good debate around it and the arguments that went backwards and forwards on it. But what we are seeing at the moment is a massive piece of hypocrisy with that Government intervening in a regulatory process that is going to force up phone and internet bills for New Zealanders and the Prime Minister intervening and saying that he will not rule out legislation. Ultimately that will end up being a situation where the consumers of New Zealand lose out—lose out—at a time when they should not. 
The laws that were made by this Government 2 years ago through the Telecommunications Act were hotly debated in this House. Warnings were given around what might or might not occur. Well sure enough it has come to bear that the Government has now got itself in a pickle and there is article after article appearing on this particular issue including by the former Telecommunications Commissioner who came out yesterday and said that it was an unprecedented move for the Government to intervene in this process in a way that is going to affect consumers. It is going to affect consumers adversely if the Government intervenes in the way it says it is likely to do. I want to make that point because it is an extremely important point. 
Although on the one hand here we are debating a piece of legislation that is about putting in place a more fair regime for consumers particularly in terms of bringing legislation up to date in the online environment—and an extraordinary amount of good work has been done on a piece of consumer legislation—on the other hand we have a situation where consumers are going to be sold down the river. That will all be in favour of propping up the profits of a privately owned company Chorus in order to suit the will of the Government and its intentions around ultra-fast broadband. Twelve dollars a month is quite a lot of money for the poorest families and people on low incomes. Twelve dollars a month is at least what consumers are going to be stuck with in their phone and internet prices at a time when those prices should be going down. 
This issue has created widespread horror and uncertainty for the whole of the telecommunications industry which is seeking stability. This bill the Consumer Law Reform Bill is meant to be providing a more secure environment where everybody knows where they stand but instead in an unprecedented move the Prime Minister has intervened and said he will not rule out legislation. The industry has been sent into turmoil. 
There is the prospect of judicial review of any final decisions that the Commerce Commission does make. This is at a time when there should be certainty and stability in the industry so that the telecommunications companies can get on with investing innovation can occur and more services get developed which will create more competition and ultimately consumers will be better off.