Dyson Ruth: Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Dyson Ruth: Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:629;Page:1410] 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister of Labour) 
: 
 Two words sprang to mind as I listened to that speech. One word is not allowed to be used in the House so I will not even tempt fate; the second word is “irony”. There is huge irony in listening to a speech from a National member of Parliament who presided over a regime for nearly a decade when National’s skills strategy was to look to the stars and hope that the stars lined up with apprenticeships which National scrapped hope that the stars lined up with industry training which National scrapped hope that the stars lined up with tertiary education which National stifled through reducing the funds provided to tertiary institutions and increasing the fees for students and hope that the stars lined up with collaboration between business and unions and that then the market would deliver skills. It is no wonder we inherited such a skills deficit from the member who now stands up and says that productivity is what we need. There is another huge irony in that member talking about productivity but I do not think that I need to go there because not only do we on the Government side of the House recognise that but so does every other member of the House. 
It gives me great pleasure to support this bill going to a select committee and I congratulate Sue Bradford from the Green Party on taking the initiative stimulating the debate around the country and introducing the bill to the House. Since Labour was first elected at the end of 1999 our Governments have reviewed and then raised the minimum youth and adult wage annually. I am very proud of that. In 2001 we lowered the age of eligibility for the adult minimum wage from 20 years of age as it was then to 18 years of age. Prior to that one had to work on the youth rate if one was on the minimum rate right up to age 20 years; now it is 18 years. Labour increased the relativity between the youth rate and the adult rate in two steps from 60 percent to 80 percent and it has maintained that relativity. It is my view that those steps have been very positive. 
But it is still obvious that there is a debate to be had about the suitability of paying workers at a different rate for the same job just because of their age. I think that that debate should properly be held at a select committee. There are many issues to be debated. Is the enticement of young people from the education system—from high school polytechs apprenticeships or university—with the possibility of higher-paid jobs an issue? I think that should be debated. As Sue Bradford quite rightly pointed out we do not want young people to work long hours while they are studying. Will a higher wage reduce that or will young people continue to work for the same number of hours and just earn more pay for doing so? That issue should be debated. The financial pressures on employers and the potential for the constraint of job growth are issues that should be debated. A primary issue is that all workers in New Zealand should receive fair pay. The debate that Wayne Mapp mentioned briefly in his contribution tonight is that concerning the value of experience and ability in terms of being able to do the job and the debate between what is genuine training and what is life-work experience and what the financial consideration for that life-work experience should be. 
This matter is not a simple or a straightforward issue but in my view it is one that should not divide our employers and our unions despite the differences of opinion that those two parties may hold. From Labour’s perspective employers’ and unions’ voices and the voices of young New Zealand workers should be heard. A select committee is an appropriate forum to host the debate. I know that the members of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee will give fair consideration to both the perceptions and the facts around this debate. I personally very much look forward to the debate and to hearing the deliberation of the select committee. It is a debate that the time has come for. Labour will give further consideration to its position in the House on the bill following that consideration and deliberation. 
I wish the next stage of the bill very speedy progress.