Parker David: Health and Safety Reform Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParker David: Health and Safety Reform Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 25 August 2015. Volume:708;Page:6146. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour): I want to speak to the issue that has been raised or emphasised today by the New Zealand Law Society. Nowhere in the version of the bill that went to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee and that people submitted on was there a reference to people being able to be tried in respect of offences where they could be convicted on the basis of evidence they did not hear and that their lawyer could not see either. Those provisions were inserted at the select committee stage after submissions had closed and they were not even referred to by the select committee when it was drawing the attention of this House to the amendments that were being made to the legislation. Supplementary Order Paper 108 then makes further amendments to those provisions and I want to describe if I have time what the Law Society is saying about them because it says—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): No I am afraid that these have not been discussed in the Committee stage. What we are talking about now is the title and commencement and one needs to tie the debate backto that. If we look at Speakers’ ruling 127/5 there is some latitude however to summarise those things that have been discussed during the course of the Committee stage. This is new material you are bringing up which has not been discussed by this Committee.Hon DAVID PARKER: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. This was raised by Jacinda Ardern in the debate on Part 4.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): I will listen very carefully.Hon DAVID PARKER: Thank you Mr Chair. The Health and Safety Reform Bill does not in its title say that it is taking away the right to a fair trial. That isthe effect of these provisions according to the Law Society and it recommends the removal of the provisions to await the outcome of an inquiry by the Law Commission in respect of national security information. The Law Society says that the effect of the provisions is very broad because they apply to investigations by the police not just by security agencies and that the definition of “classified security information” is very broad. It makes the point that none of this was subject to a New Zealand Bill of Rights Act vet because it was introduced late in the process at select committee and neither were the—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): I am sorry but what you are referring to was not part of the Committee’s consideration—and I am referring to the Committee of the whole House. I am listening very carefully to what the honourable member is saying and I ask you to tie it back to the commencement and title—that is what we are on—and the peroration which is a summing up of those things that have been discussed within the Committee of the whole House.Hon DAVID PARKER: Thank you Mr Chair and I do note the Minister trying to influence the Chair—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Oh no.Hon DAVID PARKER: Mr Chair—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): No. The member will sit. You will withdraw that comment. There is no influence whatsoever on the Chair by any member of this Committee. This is impartial material and I get my advice from the Clerk. All right?Hon DAVID PARKER: Thank you Mr Chair. The Law Society makes the point that the commencement of this legislation ought to be delayed and this is within the date of—there is a variety of commencement dates provided for as Andrew Little has already addressed in this debate. The Law Society is saying that these provisions ought not to come into effect until the Law Commission has reported back. It is most unusual—most unusual—that we would in this Parliament pass legislation that took away the right of an accused to hear the evidence that was being used against them and most rare for the court not to be able to challenge the validity of doing that and that is what the Law Society says is happening here.I want to turn to another point. The exclusion of farms essentially from the ambit of organisations that need to have worker representatives is part of a continuing trend by this Government exempting the farming sector. We saw it in respect of emissions pricing: 50 percent of New Zealand’s emissions come from—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Order!Hon DAVID PARKER: Well Mr Chair I think it is—I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. With respect it must be in order for me when the Government is excluding the farming sector to point out—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): We are not talking about emissions and that was not part of the debate. You have got 5 seconds remaining.Hon DAVID PARKER: I am not going to bother.