Moroney Sue: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMoroney Sue: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 25 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18930. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SUE MORONEY (Labour):You cannot begin to understand how relieved I am to take a call in the Committee stage of the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill tonight. It has been a long time coming. I am sorry for everyone who has had to sit through the bizarre performance that we have seen from the National members this morning as they have again—Mike Sabin: This morning?SUE MORONEY: —this afternoon this evening—as they have continued to play these political games around something as simple as supporting families at a time when they need it most which is when they have a newborn baby. I think it is very disappointing and I am sure that families up and down the country will feel ashamed of what they have seen the Government doing tonight. I certainly do.But before I go on can I acknowledge my own parents Mary and Denny Moroney who are here with me this evening hoping to hear this bill being debated and voted on. It is their 59th wedding anniversary so happy anniversary Mum and Dad. This bill is about families. You have been a wonderful wonderful example of the sort of support that children can have and look what you produced—look what you produced. This bill is not about me and my family but I just did want to acknowledge that very special occasion for my parents this evening.I really hope that the National Government will honour my parents’ wedding anniversary by now ceasing the game. Let us just cease the game. I want to get this bill passed through its Committee stage tonight. I would love to have my parents here tonight see that occasion occur but more important I want to see families throughout New Zealand actually have this issue heard and actually have it debated in this Parliament in a democratic and civilised manner.This is not a controversial bill. This is a measure to extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks but not immediately. I have an amendment to my bill that will bring paid parental leave to 22 weeks on 1 July next year and then to finally get to the 26 weeks on 1 July 2017. It is a very affordable way of bringing forward this very important measure. This measure is important because as Plunket says when we give children that best start of bonding and attachment with their parent and when we give them the best opportunity to have 6 months’ exclusive breastfeeding then we know that as a country we can support those children. They will have a better life. We will all get to live beside these better-balanced and more productive citizens and we will all get to save money. We will not have to spend so much money on remedial education. We will not have to spend so much money on those children’s health care and actually a lot of the research and evidence tells us that we will save money on our youth justice system as well. Would that not be a great thing?This is what the brighter future for New Zealand really looks like New Zealand. I want to thank all the parties and independent MPs who are supporting this bill because they know that investing early investing in those early months is going to be the thing that is going to make us a better country. That is what this bill is about. People listening to this debate will be able to hear which other parties are truly prepared to put their money where their mouths are and prioritise families and children. The one party the National Party that is now voting against this bill in this Committee is showing that it does not prioritise families. That is what it shows when it opposes this bill.I just want to make one more quick point and it is this: if the National Party truly believes that this bill is not affordable then use the financial veto. Stop playing political games and use the financial veto. Stand up and be counted. Stop the political game-playing.