Baillie ChrisCHRIS BAILLIE (ACT): I rise on behalf of the ACT Party in opposition to this bill for a number of reasons. Mainly the ACT Party believes employers aren't bad and they deserve a break. This new legislation comes on top of a hugely difficult year for business where employers feel set upon by this Government: minimum wage increase at the start of the lockdown a new stat holiday. Next we'll be giving people time off to attend Peachy—oh we're already doing that! Employers just don't know what's coming next but they know it will keep on coming as we have a Minister who just doesn't get business a Minister who said in 2017 that minimum wage increases will only happen if conditions permitted—a one-in-100-year pandemic is obviously not enough!—and the same Minister who said the increased sick leave would add a little bit of cost" to business. Sick leave in 2018 cost businesses $1.7 billion. Just a little bit of cost!Submitters were divided into two camps: business owners and the employees. The business owners are the ones who put themselves on the line. They've taken the risk and employed people. They understand where money comes from. Employees as human nature dictates will often take what they can get and a number of submitters thought that they deserved not two but four weeks' sick pay. They are currently being enabled by a Government who has a very skewed position on what makes the world go round. ACT opposes this extra burden for employers especially in today's environment. Employees are currently entitled to four weeks' annual leave 12 stat holidays—that's over six weeks. They've got five days' sick pay. They've got family violence leave and whatever comes next. Employers are up against it constantly. To suggest that sick leave is not abused and used as annual leave like some have suggested by many employees shows a great ignorance and a lack of understanding of what goes on in the actual workforce—unless of course you're looking at it through the union eyes.Those countries that we aspire to be like on average are twice as sickly as us. We can expect New Zealand's sick leave to double. It's almost $4 billion for employers. We must treat apples with apples if we're going to compare ourselves with other countries and not just take the good bits. With any pay rise or leave entitlement or other changes in employee conditions we must look at productivity to make sure that we can pay for it and unfortunately New Zealand just doesn't cut it at the moment. We constantly compare ourselves with other countries when it comes to the minimum wage work conditions leave provisions but constantly ignore the most important factor that enables these countries to provide different conditions to their employees: much much higher productivity. Ireland around No. 4 in the world; Australia around No. 17; Norway around No. 6—we're constantly comparing ourselves with those countries. New Zealand consistently around No. 28 or 29. To think that paying people more or giving people more holidays and increasing sick leave will increase productivity which it must do so it can be paid for shows a very poor understanding of business—and unfortunately especially business in New Zealand. This bill could well hurt the very people it intends to help as has been mentioned before. Employers will look very hard before employing people with health issues mothers with kids and those who they would previously have given a go.This Government constantly trumpets on about how much help and support they gave businesses during COVID. I just don't get it. Employees were looked after—effectively put on a benefit—during lockdown with a guarantee of employment when it was over. Businesses were assisted in getting a loan if they needed it. The thing about loans is that you have to pay them back. They still had the same rates power insurance—in many cases rent—and all the other fixed costs in running a business. Businesses had to go into debt in order for employees to have a job. If that's looking after business I'd hate to think what they get their friends for Christmas. ACT believes employers are good hard-working people. A number of submitters while supporting the increase also stated that their employers looked after them when they needed it. They admitted that the employers were good people and they looked after them but they still were keen on the extra leave.Employers are good people. They're prepared to take the risk to make this economy work. If a business is doing well employees will do well despite what you may hear from those who have never owned a business. Unfortunately in the last four years businesses have been under attack. This latest unnecessary luxury coming at a time when most are hurting and trying to recover from COVID is just another example and we just wonder what's next. For these reasons ACT opposes this bill. Thank you."