Henare Tau: Employment Relations Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
Henare Tau: Employment Relations Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
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Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Here is a quote from the Labour Party: “Choice is ridiculous.” That is what one of those members said—choice is ridiculous. 
Hon Member 
: No it was “Joyce is ridiculous.” 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Oh no it could not have been that. Choice is ridiculous. Listen to how those words roll off the top of their tongues. Choice is ridiculous. Do members know why Labour members say that? It is because of that old thing they believe in that comes from the early 1920s—in fact earlier than that. It comes from the manifesto of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Those members really do believe that they are more with-it and more intelligent than the poor old worker out in the field. They will make the choice as to whether the Employment Relations Amendment Bill (No 2) is good or bad for workers. 
Here is something else to ponder. Why is it that the union representative never goes out on strike with the workers? 
Allan Peachey 
: You mean they still get paid? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: They still get paid! A classic example of this occurred during the mining strike on the West Coast not so long ago. The miners’ union was receiving money— 
Lynne Pillay 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member is on the wrong bill. The strike bill was debated last night. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) 
: I am listening to the member; I will make a determination. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: It is about choice. The 90-day bill is about choice the access issue is about choice and that is why I was gobsmacked to hear the comments of the Labour Party members Carol Beaumont and Darien Fenton who apparently were both good union representatives in their day—in their day. But that day has gone and we have those members harking back to the good old days when the union ran everything. It was as my father used to say a closed shop. 
What is wrong with choice? There is nothing wrong with choice. People 2 years ago made a choice and they voted for change. The amazing thing about this debate is that if we were to close our eyes and listen to the so-called left it would be as if we were back in 1951. But those battles have been won and lost; they have been fought they have been won and they have been lost. Those members cry about workers’ rights the 90-day bill and union access to workplaces. We hear the emotion of Carol Beaumont when she says that the change to union access to workers could lead to someone dying. 
Carol Beaumont 
: It could do. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: For goodness’ sake! In 100 years of industrial law no one—no one—has died because of that. No one has died through lack of access to a union representative—not once not twice not three times. And this is 2011 not 1951. 
This legislation is part of our programme to get the country back working to get the country back on the road to economic prosperity which is something that was absolutely lacking during the 9 years of the Labour Government. The outdated policies of the left-wing Government were absolutely lacking in that. Well it thought it was a left-wing Government but it was not. 
I enjoyed my time on the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee and I give big raps to David Bennett the chairman of that committee.