Mallard Trevor: Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Mallard Trevor: Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:660;Page:9392] 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) 
: 
 This Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill is relatively uncontroversial. I was lucky to be a member of the Education and Science Committee that was dealing with it at the time and I am pleased to be able to speak to Part 2. It is fair to say that relatively speaking Part 2 is the smaller part of this bill but it includes consequential amendments and areas that people need to talk about. I acknowledge that although we did not always agree with the policy and although some of the options that were put up were not picked up by the Government the officials did a good job. 
Some regulations are being revoked as part of this legislation. I say to the Minister in the chair the Minister of Revenue that it is good to use primary legislation to revoke regulations because it means that the provision is on the face of the legislation rather than people having to dive away to other areas to work their way through the particular issues. Frankly it is a bit sad that we need legislation for some of these things—such as clause 29 “Officers to maintain secrecy”—but we do. However the change there is a very small consequential amendment which omits “ (2AA)” from section 81(4)(g) of the Tax Administration Act. That is an effect of something else earlier on being revoked. It is fair to say that this legislation is in the tidy-up category of legislation. 
I have some problems with my colleagues from the Green Party over this legislation. Even though we all have the policy intention of heading towards free tertiary education the idea that those members would vote against consequential amendments in a relatively minor bill because they are opposed to people at university being charged fees I think goes beyond a stand on principle to a stance that is pretty hard to explain. I was slightly surprised at that. 
Hon Maryan Street 
: What sort of student were you? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I was a student in the era slightly before that of my colleague Maryan Street I think—when I look at her—but I was at the same institution. I was of the group that did not do a seventh form year—or 6A I think they called it. I went to university at that stage. 
Hon Maryan Street 
: You’re a child prodigy! 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Well I was 16½; I was old enough. But as a result of my slightly better than mediocre work in my first year I ended up getting a bursary in my second year. That was the way that it worked. I cannot remember the bursary being an enormous amount of money but the fees— 
Hon Maryan Street 
: A late developer. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Well I was an early developer actually. I ended up a year’s extra study ahead of my colleagues who had stayed at school we ended up with about the same bursary and I had had a much better time than they had had over that period. But how much of that time was at the— 
Hon Maryan Street 
: Did you join the students association? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I think it was automatic at that stage. But I did “cafe honours” and it was good. Bob Moodie used to be there in his kaftan. Jim Baxter would be reciting poetry. I tell you what Jim Baxter’s poetry was nowhere near as interesting as this bill; there was some really interesting poetry but none of it came close to Part 2 of the Student Loan Scheme (Exemptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Bill. He never came close. But I must say it was a particularly interesting time.