Heatley Phil: Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Heatley Phil: Weathertight Homes Resolution Services (Remedies) Amendment Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:641;Page:11016] 
PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) 
: 
 I find it intriguing that we are talking about clause 3 “Principal Act amended”. We have seen in the course of this debate the introduction of a Supplementary Order Paper that does not affect the principal Act the Weathertight Homes Resolutions Services Act 2006 but the Building Act which was passed in 2004. It is interesting to us that this Labour Government would introduce legislation to this Parliament that is right outside the Standing Orders so that Parliament has to set aside its normal rules to deal with something that would normally go before a select committee and be well considered. Why has the Labour Government in dealing with the leaky homes issue and the issue of hundreds and thousands of families across the country now being unable to afford their first home dealt with that by rushing legislation through this Parliament without due consideration? I ask the Committee whether that is good process. 
Hon Members 
: No. 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: Committee members say that no that is not good process at all. It is not good process at all. 
We have a situation here where some New Zealanders were so distraught in 2001 and 2002 because their homes were leaking like sieves that the Government rushed legislation through this Parliament. It gave them no practical help at all so in 2004 the Government rushed through more legislation to fix what was wrong with its previous legislation from 2002. It rushed through a fix-up job in 2004. We are now debating another fix-up job in 2007 and the Minister sneaks in a Supplementary Order Paper—amendments that have not been considered by the Social Services Committee or the wider public—to fix up the fix-up that fixed up the fix-up. That is a sad state of affairs indeed. If only the Government had considered the views of the building industry of house owners themselves of district councils right across this country and of everyone who has been affected by the leaky homes crisis and the home affordability crisis then today we would be considering good legislation. 
I am going to say hello to the members of the House again next year in 2008. I can almost guarantee that National will be here to fix this legislation which is being rushed through the House. That is my concern. This is the third time that National members have stood here and challenged the Government to put up decent legislation that will help families in leaky homes and help families to buy their first home. We have been here three times now and we will be here again next year. At least the Labour Party members are guaranteeing themselves a job. If they keep stuffing up they will keep having legislation to fix and they will keep turning up in their LTDs and collecting their pay. 
But it is with distress that the National Party members are here because we would really love to see solutions from Labour rather than see legislation piled upon legislation piled upon legislation piled upon legislation. District councils and city councils themselves have asked the Government not to accredit them and give them more regulations. They have asked the Labour Government not to stuff up the time frames that they have for giving resource consents and building consents to those who want to build their homes because what then happens is that district councils have to pass the costs associated with that on to first home buyers. They have to pass tens of thousands of dollars of costs on to first home buyers and first home buyers resent that. The legislation that the Government is passing forces district councils to raise the prices on first home buyers and district councils do not like to do that.