Heatley Phil: Education (Disestablishment of Early Childhood Development Board) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
Heatley Phil: Education (Disestablishment of Early Childhood Development Board) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:616;Page:12152] 
PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) 
: 
 I appreciate the opportunity to talk on the title of the Education (Disestablishment of Early Childhood Development Board) Amendment Bill. I would like to make a suggestion that has not yet gone down by way of amendment to this clause. The title should really read the “Education (Post-disestablishment of Early Childhood Development Board) Amendment Bill”. I say “Post” because as we know although this statute provides a mechanism for the Minister to axe the Early Childhood Development Board that has actually been done already almost 12 months ago. In other words this bill by way of statute lags behind what has happened by almost 12 months. We have talked a lot about the constitutional ramifications of the situation whereby a Government can go out and act railing against legislation and regulation and then 12 months later come in and tidy it up—in other words make it lawful that it disestablished the board. 
 We have seen a lot of legislation in the last 12 months and I as National’s spokesperson on fisheries have seen lots of retrospective legislation regarding fisheries matters go through this House. I know that Damien O’Connor has registered concerns about the Ministry of Fisheries supporting such legislation year in and year out but now we see the Minister of Education getting into the same habit. A mistake is made or a gamble is taken—in this case the gamble was to disestablish the Early Childhood Development Board—and the Minister comes into the Chamber 12 months later and has legislation passed that allows him to do that. I do not know why in a Western democracy we should allow that to happen. That is why I suggest the title should be the “Education (Post-disestablishment of Early Childhood Development Board) Amendment Bill”. 
I listened keenly to Brian Donnelly’s speech. He is a member of Parliament for the New Zealand First Party. I recall making a phone call to Mr Donnelly to ask his advice because I respected his opinion. I got Mr Donnelly’s opinion. He then came to the House a few weeks later and dogged me in this House basically mocking the fact that I had rung him and asked for his advice. Since that time and it must be a good 6 to 12 months ago I have not rung and asked him for advice—and I never will again. It is a very sad thing indeed that when a member of Parliament looks to a member of another party asks for help and suggests they work together on something the member who was approached would come to the Chamber and mock the member who did that. I am quite disappointed by that and I know that listeners to the radio broadcast of this debate and the people in the galleries will be also. Whereas we would have been able to share information no longer will we be able to—certainly not after today when Mr Donnelly decided to do that again. I find that quite appalling particularly given we both live in the same city. Working together we could achieve much more. It makes me sad that we cannot do so. I digress but I did want to make that point and I ask the member for New Zealand First to reflect on it. 
I go back to my original issue which is the fact that we are passing this legislation today. National will be voting against it for all the good reasons we have put forward previously. I wanted to highlight that particular constitutional issue because I do not want the Minister of Education to get into the habit in such an important area of having policy go into action and then for him to sweep things up afterwards with legislation. It should not happen that way. We are a democracy. This is a transparent nation and a transparent Parliament. To have him do that reflects only an arrogance that I hope is not growing in this Labour Government.