Robson Matt: Families Commission Bill — First Reading 
Robson Matt: Families Commission Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5627] 
Hon MATT ROBSON (Deputy Leader—Progressive) 
: 
 Bodies can be set up to achieve something or bodies can be set up just to obfuscate and do nothing. The New South Wales Government has set up commission after commission to strike at police corruption and the New South Wales police force is still one of the most corrupt police forces in the world. So there is an example from just across the Tasman of commission after commission that never achieved any of the high-sounding goals that it set itself. But this Families Commission has been set up by three parties in this House that between them represent over 50 percent of the population. Each of those three parties went to the electorate and said that it would focus on strengthening families. 
As far as I could see so did every other party; all of them went to the electorate and said that they would strengthen families. Now we have a responsibility to say to the public that that is what we will do. At the very least one would think that those other parties that have policies to strengthen families would bite their tongue sit back and see whether this body will achieve what it says it will do and will undertake the task that it is mandated to undertake. Those parties have been in Government—particularly National and New Zealand First and ACT was an influential partner of the National Party when it was in Government—and they should be a little bit humble about their lack of achievement in this area. [ 
Interruption 
] 
I would caution them to wait. I tell Dr Smith that Napoleon had a saying—and I do not know whether it reached Nelson—“On s’engage et on s’en voit.”—“You engage and then you see.” What he was saying is that if one has a practical task one should grasp the nettle undertake the task then see whether one can achieve one’s goals. The only way to see whether the commission will be successful is to begin the process. We will always be defeated if we never take up the challenge and the challenge is to strengthen families. 
We will have to make sure—and we will be held to account if we do not—that the people we put on this particular body which will be charged with giving the Government advice are first-class. If first-class people are put on a body they do not hold back if they wish to uphold their scientific reputation or their reputation for expertise by saying that they must put up something that pleases this or that Minister. They come forward fearlessly with the research that they have undertaken and the results that have come out of it. Certainly my party the Progressives in coalition with the Labour Party want to ensure that the full-time commissioners will give us as a Government good advice. I am certain that that is the wish of the United Future party as well. [ 
Interruption 
] I have not checked the  
Hansard. 
When the Law Commission was set up I am sure there were people in Parliament saying that it was a terrible thing to set up a Law Commission and asking why we had to waste money on getting better laws. I know that I as a Minister and other members who are Ministers in this House and members on select committees have always been glad that the Law Commission has done valuable research and come up with opinions based on scientific research. It does not mean that we have to agree with what the Law Commission has proposed but at least we have a body of research that is useful. 
Further my party is looking at developing our commitment to a balance between family life and work and we want to progress such things as 4 weeks’ leave which in my humble opinion is a fundamental right of the working people of this country. I do not say that the Families Commission is charged with that at this stage but it is on issues like that that it will be able to have an influence—the balance between work and family life and actually strengthening families. So let us make sure that we can begin to progress the key institution that everybody in this House says he or she is committed to: the family.