Auchinvole Chris: Health and Safety (Pike River Implementation) Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeAuchinvole Chris: Health and Safety (Pike River Implementation) Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 27 June 2013. Volume:691;Page:11377. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National):The significance of this bill the Health and Safety (Pike River Implementation) Bill will not escape the notice of any members of this House. I am quite sure of that. I wish to enthusiastically herald its introduction and commend it to all parties and all members for their attention. The name of the bill and of the Act once passed carries and conveys the reality and the significance of this piece of legislation the Health and Safety (Pike River Implementation) Bill. I have said before in this Chamber that an unforgettable part of my life is the memory of sitting through day after day of the testimony heard by the Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy. I certainly was not alone but significantly I sat in the company of family relatives and friends of the 29 who were lost.There are four main aspects of this bill that I wish to join the Minister of Labour the Hon Simon Bridges in giving emphasis to. I would like to do that now. First this bill acts on the recommendations of the royal commission establishing a new stand-alone agency to improve safety in the workplace. Second the bill demonstrates that the Government and indeed I hope all parties in Parliament are committed to the Pike River Implementation Plan. There are 16 recommendations from the royal commission to be implemented by the end of 2013. Third the Government is committed to improving workplace safety by specific dates with firm targets of a reduction in workplace fatalities and serious injury. Fourth the bill needs to be seen by company directors public servants politicians employers and employees contractors and indeed all who are associated with engaging in the workplace not just as a significantstep and not just as meeting the requirements of the royal commission but as an inexorable determined drive with the full weight of parliamentary commitment to ensure workplace and safety reform. Reform is not an option; it is a commitment and an essential requirement.Let us look at some of the specifics. This bill establishes WorkSafe New Zealand as an independent Crown entity. It amends the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 to give new regulations creating clear expectations in managing hazards in the mining industry. It regulates managing those hazards and it strengthens the minimum standards. It strengthens the health and safety management systems it provides new safety-critical roles it raises training and it increases competency standards. I would like to give emphasis to the following point—and I can almost hear a cheer down on the West Coast. It creates the position of check inspectors in mines. It empowers the mines inspectorate at a greater level. It creates a New Zealand Mining Board of Examiners. It allows for the creation of new regulations to be made following the bill’s passage. It lifts New Zealand to the same level of standards that meet best practice throughout the world.Andrew Little: Let’s not go overboard.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: It creates a Mines Rescue Act 2013 which will better reflect the role and functions of the Mines Rescue Trust in providing specialist search and rescue services in mining emergencies training and equipping mines rescue brigades providing advice to mine operators during emergencies and assisting with the development of emergency plans. I note the comments of my colleague on the other side. No none of this will happen by itself Mr Little. It will require the full efforts of everybody involved.This is not a once-over-lightly bill. This strikes to the very heart of the requirements of the extractive industry. I understand that the Pike River families are being kept informed of progress towards re-entry of the mine with all the necessary safety precautions for doing so and they are aware that it will be at least a further 3 months before anything can begin. This bill is not the end of the Pike River mine disaster. This bill does not give closure for families. It is a continuum for them and indeed for us. But the families relatives and friends of the 29 the communities of the Coast and those committed to winning the benefits of the extractive industries for the rest of us can be assured that it is a beginning. It is the beginning of a serious reform programme the beginning of a commitment and the beginning of ensuring that we have listened and learnt and that we can all look forward to adding to our visual memorials adding to the thoughts of our minds and adding to the grief in our hearts through ensuring the legislative benefits of learning from the past.This bill is a continuum in showing that like the fallen in the war the 29 who fell in the mine disaster will not be forgotten and we will and do remember them. This bill is a part of the legislative proof that we are determined to look after the interests of those engaged in mining. It heralds a new beginning for the extractive industries and I look forward to playing a full role with other members from all sides of the House in the select committee process for this. I commend this bill’s first reading for the unanimous support of the House. Thank you.