Sabin Mike: WorkSafe New Zealand Bill Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Bill Mines Rescue Bill — Third ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSabin Mike: WorkSafe New Zealand Bill Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Bill Mines Rescue Bill — Third Readings[Sitting date: 14 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14739. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MIKE SABIN (National—Northland): Could I make just a short contribution. I just want to acknowledge a few people—firstly and obviously the Minister of Labour and the work he has done on this legislation arising from the Health and Safety (Pike River Implementation) Bill. He has done a heck of a lot of work across this labour space around health and safety and workplace safety—and still a lot more to come. I just want to also acknowledge three particular members of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee all members who have contributed to this legislation—they are Damien O’Connor Chris Auchinvole and of course the member who has just resumed his seat Kevin Hague for his heartfelt contribution. I just want to acknowledge all three and say that as someone who has little knowledge or experience in this area and who does not come from the area I think you have absolutely represented your constituents your experience and those views very very well. I do not necessarily agree with all the views that were shared but I certainly respect all of those members for their contributions to this legislation.The genesis of this is a tragic event and we have reflected well on that—and so we should. But I think for me the important thing in acknowledging the mistakes and the oversights looking back through a lens with 20/20 hindsight is to ensure that the balance is achieved so that the pendulum is not seen to swing too far because in every matter of health and safety there are two elements to it really. Those elements are the systems and the processes that we have in place and obviously this place has a role to play in the legislative framework that assists and establishes the right platform for that. But there is also the human element. The human element is one that cannot be underestimated in terms of the role that each individual must have in using their common sense their work experience their training and their compassion care and understanding of the environment they are working in and of the colleagues they are working with as to the role that each individual must play in terms of health and safety. Although there are some legislative levers that we can pull in terms of ensuring compliance with legislation we can never escape the fact that every individual in every workplace has a role and a responsibility to think and act and work in a safe manner and we must support them to do that.But when we go too far in terms of swinging that pendulum so that that role and that responsibility the personal responsibility for the individual are somehow taken away and replaced by some system or some lever or consequence or so forth it can sometimes result in people defaulting to the system and forgetting about themselves. I am in no way suggesting that that is the case in terms of the Pike River disaster or anything that is linked to this legislation. I make it simply as a point as a balance in legislation that we should always remember that it is a match between the systems the processes the levers that we put in place and the individual humans who contribute to working them if you like.I want to just reiterate that this legislation does create three effectively new streams or levers. It creates WorkSafe New Zealand a new regulatory regime that puts clear expectations on hazard management and everything that falls underneath that and of course the new Mines Rescue Act. As to the importance of them I think Damien O’Connor has rightly pointed out the importance of the skill sets that come with those who are involved in this particular industry of underground mining and the difficulties and challenges that it brings.Again I just want to commend those members for the contribution that they made to the passage of this legislation. Although we do not agree on everything actually what we have done is get good legislation that I hope can help give effect to making the New Zealand workplace in particular in the mining area a safer one.