Robertson H V Ross: Regulatory Improvement Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Robertson H V Ross: Regulatory Improvement Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Sitting date: 30 March 2010. Volume:661;Page:10170. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON (Labour—Manukau East) 
:  
The Regulatory Improvement Bill is about reducing the compliance cost of doing business. At this stage I want to acknowledge my colleague the Hon Lianne Dalziel for the work that she did as the previous Minister of Commerce in reducing the compliance costs on businesses. She introduced this bill on 9 September 2008. People say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Lianne Dalziel can be well pleased that Rodney Hide has taken up this bill and is progressing it through the House albeit without any consultation at all. This bill is the result of 15 months of careful consultation between Government agencies and over 200 businesses. That speaks volumes about the consultation process that the previous Minister undertook to ensure that the whole issue of compliance costs was addressed. 
I remember some years back introducing a private member’s bill to this Parliament. It was called the Paperwork Reduction Bill. The whole idea of that bill was to reduce the cost of compliance for small businesses. At the time the media made hay of the fact that members had to produce 21 copies of their submissions in order for that bill to go forward. The whole thing was concerned with the efficiency and productivity of an organisation. That is where Lianne Dalziel needs to be recognised for the work that she did. There was also the Productivity Council Bill (No 3) which was introduced in 1989 and I see that 21 years later the National Government has decided to do something about that matter. 
This legislation after 15 months of consultation between the Government and other agencies is finally starting to happen. That is due in no small part to the work that our Minister of Commerce did when she was in office. The bill takes a broad view that looks at anomalies inconsistencies and duplication across the Government’s regulatory framework. As well as correcting errors the Quality Regulation Review aimed to develop ways of ensuring new rules were efficient from a business perspective. 
I can remember visiting a small business in the South Island some years ago and talking about the issue of compliance. I said we were going to look at the issue and the guy who was doing paperwork in his office in I think it was Winton threw it all in the air and said “Thank goodness for that!”. The issue of compliance is a longstanding grievance for small business. I put it to members that it will continue to be a longstanding grievance for small business because of the amount of time and effort required in order to adhere to Government regulations. Again Lianne Dalziel needs to be recognised and complimented for addressing that issue. 
I quote Lianne Dalziel who said: “The bill is an important part of the Government’s overall effort to ensure that all our regulation is necessary. Our regulatory frameworks as a whole must be of the highest quality if our businesses are to compete internationally and be as innovative and productive as possible.” That is certainly the whole aim of this bill and it is one of the reasons why the Opposition will be supporting this legislation. Businesses are frustrated by having to provide the same information over and over again in different categories. Today that is still one of the problems that we face. One hopes that this legislation will go some way towards rectifying that problem. 
When Labour was in office we also launched a 2-year trial of a business cost calculator in order to quantify the compliance costs of regulation. When you were the Opposition spokesperson on small business Mr Chairperson Tisch I guarantee that one of the things you heard from small-business owners was that they were concerned about the issue of compliance. It is an age-old issue. This bill attempts to do something about it and I again acknowledge the work that my colleague did in bringing this legislation to Parliament. She is to be commended and congratulated for doing so and I know that also goes some way towards the work that you did Mr Chairperson Tisch when you were the Opposition spokesperson on small business.