Salesa Jenny: New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Southern DHB) Elections Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSalesa Jenny: New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Southern DHB) Elections Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 10 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10945. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JENNY SALESA (Labour—Manukau East): I would like to discuss clauses 3 4 and 7. Clause 4 sets out the purpose of the bill including the cancellation of the 2016 triennial general election of the Southern District Health Board in order for the continuation of the office of the commissioner. This is not a bill that we should pass in this Committee without rigorous scrutiny because it suspends a community’s democratic rights for electoral term therefore barring the ordinary members of the public from making decisions that affect their own lives and their own health services.It is also notable that the usual rules around openness and transparency relating to the decisions of the Southern District Health Board or any district health board do not apply to a commissioner. Clause 3 provides that this bill if passed would be repealed on the day elected members of the Southern District Health Board take office after the triennial general election 2019 which would be on the 58th day after the polling day.The issue of democratic rights is crucial and it is one that is very important to the Labour Party. However on balance considering that the commissioner at the Southern District Health Board has had only just over a year or so to overhaul the financial mess that the Southern District Health Board has undergone Labour supports this bill because it is important to give adequate time to the commissioner and the assistants to be able to put things in order. However one extension of the term should be more than enough for the changes to achieve a new financial stability.It is crucial that there are no further rollovers for the commissioner’s term and that the democratic elections return to take place in 2019. I ask the honourable Minister of Health the Hon Jonathan Coleman to consider taking a transitional approach before the 2019 elections as circumstances warrant. So I strongly support the Hon Annette King’s amendment. Clause 7 of this bill cancels the 2016 general election for the Southern District Health Board and in relation to that triennial general election clause 7 disapplies certain provisions of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 and the Local Electoral Act 2001 for the period that the bill is in force.The Health Committee when it was hearing submissions on this bill heard a lot of comments from members of the public saying that they were concerned about the way that the commissioner and her assistants were making decisions behind closed doors. However making directions to the commissioner in the context of this bill is not desirable for a number of reasons. The Southern District Health Board runs a public service for the benefit of its local communities. The operations of the commissioner and her assistant commissioners must therefore be as open and as transparent as possible.Labour has pushed to ensure that there is more transparency at the Southern District Health Board and I am pleased to say that the commissioner has made moves in this direction. There are now more sessions that the public can attend. We have also pushed for more frequent reporting and it is heartening to hear that this is also beginning to happen. Labour supports this bill. Thank you.