Martin Tracey: Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMartin Tracey: Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 16 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:9025. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TRACEY MARTIN (NZ First): Kia ora. I just want to take a quick call on behalf of New Zealand First. I want to correct the member Kris Faafoi with regard to the starting date of this bill. It was introduced on 2 June 2009 it had its first reading on 24 June 2009 and it was reported back by the Commerce Committee on 16 December 2009. So the first stage went through very quickly. Submissions were gained by the Commerce Committee which did its job well. So it was on 16 December 2009 that the select committee reported back this bill. The second reading was on 19 May 2015 and we are in the Committee of the whole House now which started on 1 July 2015—2015.So one has to ask oneself what on earth is inside this bill that makes the Government drag its heels in this way so this bill which looks innocuous—it sets a review and a charter for Radio New Zealand about how it delivers public broadcasting to New Zealanders. From a New Zealand First perspective we would welcome a review. We would welcome the charter being finally put down by this Government so a review can take place so that Radio New Zealand can answer the question of why New Zealand First does not get as much air time as say the Greens or the National Party.But that is not the point here tonight. The point here tonight is why is it that this Government is taking so long with this piece of legislation? It sets in place a charter a direction a statement for Radio New Zealand and quite rightly Mr Faafoi pointed out that the Minister’s Supplementary Order Papers put in a very logical a very reasonable a very smart opportunity one may say—the Hon Amy Adams is the Minister and we know she is a smart woman; we know she is a woman who has her head screwed on. She has put in a smart opportunity there for this public broadcaster not to make money from the citizens who pay for it with their taxes not to make money from the Pacific Islands to which we actually provide a service but to make money on the standards of programmes that New Zealand makes that are unique and that can be sold into America or the United Kingdom—smart smart smart because she is a smart woman.Why do we not pass it? Why do we not push this through tonight all the way through—pass the third reading? The Government has the ability to do it. It has put this bill on the Order Paper again and again and again at the end of the Order Paper just to drag it that little bit more. One suspects it is because should a review be done they will have absolute proof that Radio New Zealand is being starved for funds.What it has should this bill go through and an actual review be done should a charter be in place—this Government will have to fund public broadcasting as it should be funded and that is what this Government is afraid of. That is why this bill has dragged on and dragged on and dragged on and I guarantee you this Government will not push it through in the next couple of weeks either.That is my contribution. New Zealand First would like to see this piece of legislation pushed through this House. Give Radio New Zealand a charter. Give Radio New Zealand the funding to do the job it wants to do. Stop hacking away at public broadcasting. Let us review what Radio New Zealand does. Let us make sure that it realises it is in an MMP environment and give all political parties the appropriate percentage of representation. Let us get on with it.