Hughes Darren: Holidays Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Hughes Darren: Holidays Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:620;Page:15970] 
DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) 
: 
 I rise to take a brief call on the second reading of the Holidays Amendment Bill. It is interesting to follow on from Dr Mapp who finished his address by talking about what the Opposition believed in. I guess that although this bill is only a technical bill that corrects any unintended consequences from the Holidays Act of last year as the Minister of Labour has rightly said it does come down to quite a big difference between the philosophy and the beliefs of members on the Government side of the House and what the National Party would believe. 
We know that even though this bill does not address the issue of 4 weeks’ leave for example—the principal Act does that—Dr Brash who comes down to the Chamber to lead the National Party Opposition on measures like this bill that improve the lot of workers is one of the people who like to take 4 weeks’ leave themselves. I ask whether there is a National Party member in the House today who would pledge to take only 3 weeks’ holiday next year. I ask Dr Mapp that question: will he take 3 weeks’ holiday next year or will he take more than that? I know he will take more than that. Every single one of the 27 incompetent lazy hopeless National Party Opposition members of Parliament will take the maximum number of holidays for themselves and then deny 4 weeks’ holiday as a minimum for other people in this country because those people do not do the jobs of members of Parliament. National Party members say other workers are not entitled to that. So the issue is about a fundamental difference between the Labour Party members of Parliament supported by other parties in the House and what the National Party believes in. 
I want Dr Brash to say— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: How many days do you get at your school? 
DARREN HUGHES 
: Well of course at university one gets 6 months’ annual leave when the amount is considered completely and altogether. But this legislation is for workers. We are limiting them to just 4 weeks and that is probably a bit tough in some regards when one compares it in that way. But the issue is not just that Dr Brash gets 4 weeks’ minimum leave now as a member of Parliament. I think that he should come down to the House and tell members what he got when he was Governor of the Reserve Bank. Dr Brash is going all around the place and saying that there are too many people working in the State sector. What was he doing before this job? He was a public sector employee himself. I think that he should tell us what was in his employment agreement because I tell the House that I will bet it was more than 4 weeks’ holiday. I bet that Dr Brash took more than 4 weeks’ holiday himself when he was a worker. [ 
Interruption 
] That is confirmed by his No. 3. Mr Power says that Dr Brash did take more than 4 weeks’ holiday when he had that job as Governor of the Reserve Bank and now those members oppose that being provided for other workers. 
So as my friend and colleague the Minister of Labour has said with this bill we are to correct some unintended consequences of the Act which the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee has looked at. But the principles that this party is committed to in Government about fairness security and equity for workers are well upheld. I support the bill because I support workers in this country getting at least the same holidays as members of Parliament get.