Martin TraceyHon TRACEY MARTIN (NZ First): Kia ora. Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. On behalf of New Zealand First I rise to take a call on the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill. Can I just take us back to the first reading speech actually which was in the previous Parliament and can I just talk about a piece that is inside the explanatory note: In areas where fibre is available Chorus will no longer be required to supply copper fixed line access services or meet the obligations specified in the TSO instruments."Now I understand that through the New Zealand First member of the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee Clayton Mitchell this was raised with the select committee at that time and I just want to recap for the members of the public what the telecommunications service obligation (TSO) instruments are that are going to be removed under this piece of legislation.So when Telecom was privatised in 1990 the Kiwishare obligations placed a number of requirements on Telecom in respect of a local Telecom service. In December 2001 these requirements were superseded in an enhanced form and became the TSO for local residential telephone service. The local TSO is primarily a consumer protection mechanism that ensures the availability and affordability of basic telecommunications services in New Zealand. The local service TSO ensures that the residential local telephone service is (1) available to residential customers throughout New Zealand and (2) is available in rural areas at a price and quality comparable to the local service available in urban areas. The TSO deed further requires Telecom to offer residential customers the option of toll-free calling—e.g. Warkworth and Wellsford into Auckland—limit price rises in the standard residential line rental to no more than the rate of inflation; and enable residential customers to make emergency 111 calls.That last one of the TSO deed is the one that New Zealand First asked for the select committee to address. As I say in my understanding from the member of the New Zealand First caucus who was on that select committee it was raised with the select committee and a solution was provided by the officials at that time which was that the answer was that those who could not or did not—who were going to have their home line switched to fibre would have to go and buy themselves a mobile phone and a battery pack. I just want to acknowledge the previous Minister of this bill Clare Curran and the current Minister of the bill Kris Faafoi for the collegial and consultative way that they have worked with New Zealand First around this particular issue. I cannot see inside the bill that has been reported back to the House from the select committee—I'm happy to be wrong if a member of the select committee could stand and point me to that clause—any amendment that provides an alternative to fibre in a power cut to any vulnerable member of our community—e.g. the elderly or those who cannot afford a mobile phone or a battery pack. This is a transference of expense from what has been an obligation on a telecommunications company in this country to the consumer.Now I can see inside the bill that has been reported back to the House that the select committee has placed an obligation upon Chorus to inform the consumer that they will need to go and get a phone and a battery pack. That hardly addresses the issue of a transference of expense.And so again I want to acknowledge the Minister—both the past Minister and the current Minister—for working with New Zealand First incredibly constructively to come up with a solution here. We will be bringing that solution to the committee of the whole House. I do have to articulate we're disappointed that the select committee themselves was not able to amend the legislation to take into account those vulnerable New Zealanders but we look forward to working with the Minister constructively at the committee of the whole House and making sure that rather than pass on this cost to the New Zealand consumer we make sure that they are acknowledged."