Curran Clare: Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill — First Reading 
Curran Clare: Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:670;Page:16916] 
CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) 
: 
 The Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill could have been dealt with earlier this week alongside the Regulatory Reform Bill. This is a basic bill. It repeals 31 Acts that have expired in terms of their use. As the previous speaker said the bill will self-destruct after being passed. I make the point that it would be good if more National bills did so. If I had had time I would have put together a list of the National bills that should self-destruct. 
We accept that Acts proposed for repeal are spent but as a number of speakers on this side of the House have asked does the Government not have anything better to do? Is this really a good way to spend Parliament’s time? Mr Hide the Minister in charge of the bill said in a press release in December: “Through regulation government has the power to affect the lives of every New Zealander.” This Government is using its power to affect the lives of every New Zealander by repealing Acts that have no effect whatsoever. Spent Acts can be repealed without any practical consequences. New Zealanders need practical solutions to the problems they are facing. 
Labour welcomes regulatory reform with a balanced approach that will deliver solutions that work for businesses and will ultimately benefit the New Zealand economy as a whole. The bill is not about regulatory reform as its title purports. 
Having made that point I will talk briefly about one of the 31 Acts that are expiring. One of the Acts that will be repealed under the bill covers an area that is very close to my heart the New Zealand railways. The District Railways Purchasing Act 1885 authorised “Her Majesty the Queen to purchase certain Railways within the Dominion constructed under the District Railways Act and the Railways Construction and Land Acts.” I will read a paragraph from the preamble of the District Railways Purchasing Act: “And whereas the companies owners of the railways mentioned in the Schedule to this Act are desirous of selling their railways to the Government of New Zealand: And whereas it is expedient that the Governor should be empowered on behalf of Her Majesty to purchase the said railways in the manner provided by this Act”. 
The District Railways Purchasing Act might be 126 years old but it does have symmetry with today when one reflects on the benefits of State-owned enterprises while the Government plans to sell them off. A recession is happening in this country. There are not enough jobs. We need a plan for our economy. That is what the Government should be concentrating on. Instead we have the Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill before us today. Selling off our assets is the Government’s big plan. The asset sales will be great for foreign investors but a disaster for Kiwis. We will see power prices skyrocket as the new foreign owners push for bigger profits. Labour has said it will stop asset sales and keep our prize assets in Kiwi hands. We already own them so why sell them? The only long-term winners will be the foreign investors. After 9 years in Opposition and 2 years in Government that is National’s plan. National’s model of mixed ownership means that the wider public interest that should be an essential requirement in terms of running New Zealand’s electricity system will be surrendered to private investors many of whom certainly do not have New Zealand’s best interests at heart. As my colleagues who spoke before me asked is this a step change in the economy? I do not think so. 
I think it is relevant in relation to the 31 Acts that are expiring one of which is about the purchase of New Zealand railways to talk about the importance of State-owned assets and the failure of the Government to grow the export economy which to date has been reflected in its appalling economic decisions—abolishing the research and development tax credit despite our demonstrably low private sector research and development spend; undermining KiwiSaver despite New Zealanders’ poor record in savings; and falling at the last hurdle on ring-fencing property losses. Let us think about what the Government could do. I will go back to the bill before us today and the Act I mentioned before the District Railways Purchasing Act 1885 which is 126 years old. New Zealand can control its own future only with strong sustainable local industries such as what was intended in the Act which is being expired as a result of the bill before us today. The Government should be ensuring that we have such industries. 
Last year I released a member’s bill called the Kiwi Jobs Bill which was put into the ballot. It aimed to maximise opportunities for competitive local businesses when tendering for large Government projects such as providing work to our rail engineering industry in New Zealand which is not a sunset industry but is an important part of our economy. There are two significant places in New Zealand where rail engineering work is undertaken. One place is the Hillside railway workshops in Dunedin which are just down the road from my office in Hillside Road and the other place is the Woburn workshops in the Hutt. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: A high-quality place. 
CLARE CURRAN 
: It is a high-quality place and I am sorry that I do not know the address off by heart but I have been there. They are both very good workshops and have highly skilled people working in them. They are exactly the sorts of places that should be supported by the Government. The member’s bill that I put into the ballot establishes a commission of inquiry to compare Government procurement policies in Australia and other comparable jurisdictions— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Order! 
CLARE CURRAN 
: Mr Deputy Speaker I think this has relevance. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: There is some flexibility in a first reading speech but I would like the member to come back and talk about what this bill is doing. She is actually talking about her member’s bill now which is not part of this debate. I have given the member the opportunity to bring it back in line. I ask her to spend her remaining time on the bill please. 
CLARE CURRAN 
: In winding up on that matter I think the important point to be made in relation to the Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill and the 31 Acts being expired under it—one of which is the District Railways Purchasing Act 1885 which is 126 years old—is that in 2011 the Government of the day should be putting investment into Kiwi firms. Those firms should be given the best chance possible with full fair and reasonable opportunities to compete for tenders in major projects. 
Labour supports this bill but we consider it to be fairly rudimentary as it could have already been dealt with and the Government could instead be showing leadership through providing stimulus to the economy. Instead the House is fiddling about and the Government is not showing leadership. Real leadership is about hard work not smiling and waving. It is about articulating a vision and delivering concrete changes to better the lives of this generation and future generations of New Zealanders. It is something that has been absent from the National benches for a long time. Essentially we support this bill but we question whether it is really the best use of Parliament’s time and we ask why this Government has no better ideas than to repeal old legislation.