Lee DeniseDENISE LEE (National—Maungakiekie): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. It's beyond belief that this is the point that we've reached. Throughout this debate the Government has rubbished this bill piece by piece and I am disappointed that they are so clearly misrepresenting the framework that it sets up with political point-scoring.How can the Government honestly say that this bill is so fundamentally flawed filled with so many holes that can't be fixed by later debates when the principles that this bill is founded on have been reconfirmed by not one but two individual working groups? These working groups were operating under National and Labour Governments with input from business and unions alike. The hard work has already been done and this bill is ready now.What we have here is the only real progress towards pay equity that anyone has seen since August 2017. We have heard and it's been quoted tonight by the other side—we've heard the Prime Minister say We will not rest until we have pay equity in New Zealand." Well if they had stepped up when they had the chance they would be able to be resting by now. In 2017 they voted against the first reading of this bill. That was eight months ago. They then took this bill off the Parliament's agenda. That was five months ago. Just six weeks ago this bill was pulled from the ballot and in all that time we still have not seen any meaningful action from this Government towards pay equity. Instead it seems they are actively holding it up. How can they say with credibility any credibility that pay equity and closing the gender pay gap are priorities for this Government when they continue to delay any action? Instead they choose to wait—wait for another working group wait to introduce legislation. They are keeping the women of New Zealand waiting. Let me point out something so simple and so obvious. It must be that the Government cares more about their politics their pride and their partisanship than they do about getting a solution for women in this country now. How do I know that? It is because they could use their numbers to amend this bill. They could send this bill to select committee right now and if necessary they could make any changes to bring it up to the standards that they expect. The Government could arrest right now what will end up being months and months of delay—and it looks like there's going to be an 18-month delay for when women will actually be able to lodge a claim. Women across New Zealand deserve the opportunity to submit and voice their opinions on this bill to the select committee.I would like to thank tonight the speakers who joined me on my team—all formidable colleagues who have slogged on this topic immeasurably more than I have. I'm humbled by their faith in me to attempt to carry the flag. I would like to thank Amy Adams Michael Woodhouse Louise Upston and Paula Bennett for her counsel. I call on the other side of the House to picture women they know women they've met women who have worked and women who have grown tired both physically and emotionally with the weight of being undervalued and then do the right thing. We have an obligation to vote this to its next stage so that we can engage with women in this idea. The women of New Zealand deserve progress now."