Logie Jan; Mallard TrevorJAN LOGIE (Green): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise to take a call on behalf of the Green Party on the COVID-19 Response (Further Management Measures) Legislation Bill and in my speech I will talk to the content of the legislation starting with the title of it. Just pointing out that this is further management measures and this does sit in the context of a huge amount of work that has been going on in Government working with business and with our communities to make sure that we all get through this together and reset ourselves to be as strong as possible in the next stages of our recovery.This piece of legislation is not the headline-grabbing legislation—I don't think anyone would characterise it that way—but it's really important and I think it does demonstrate the extent of the work that's required at the moment because this legislation amends 45 statutes and it's in two tiers. So there are some substantive policy issues and then there's a lot more technical amendments that are helping just make sure that the law is meeting the needs of people in the changing times and that we're not putting undue expectations on them that are actually impossible with the restrictions that we have in place at the moment.So just to talk to some of the headline changes that are in this legislation—although I will just say that I am really pleased to see considering the breadth of amendments in this that it will be going to the Epidemic Response Committee for consideration and submissions because it is very easy in the speed that all of Government is operating in at the moment and the range of people coming together to work on these responses for mistakes to be made. So to have that public scrutiny is very welcome to us. That there'll be the report-back date on 12 May back to this House—that also acknowledges the urgency of this work and I think that the Government has got the balance of that right. So back to some of the headline substantive changes—that probably won't be headlines—that are around changes to insolvency and corporate law and that creates a business hibernation regime to allow companies and other entities to enter into agreements with the creditors in relation to existing debt and adding a safe harbour for insolvency-related directors' duties. That has been raised and we have heard those issues coming from the community of people wanting that added security and it does I think make sense in this context to add that in. I will also endorse though the messages from the Hon Shane Jones in relation to safe harbour not being an incentive to neglect duties and responsibilities and that is not the intent of this.Another point that has had quite a bit of discussion from the Opposition members is around the changes to commercial property law and extending the notice period before landlords can cancel commercial leases for non-payment of rent and extending the notice period before mortgagees can exercise their rights to sell or repossess a property. While more is being called for in this space and I suspect there will be more work needed in this area it is good to see this coming in now in the context of a wide range of changes and that that can happen more speedily while the other policy work can be properly considered.Another aspect in this which has been about just—and is—securing that the essential workers and people who really put themselves out there to keep us going through this really difficult time of just making sure that none of those people are unintentionally penalised and so I haven't heard anybody else mention in the House that in here is the change that if somebody has returned or returns temporarily from paid parental leave but to be able to help keep us going they're not going to lose their parental leave. I think that is really important because we know that people really want to be part of the solution and be part of trying to get us all back on our feet and I'd hate to see people penalised from time with their children in the future for that instinct and that assistance that they've offered us. So it's great to see that change.There's also a change to local government by-election timing as I understand that there are by-elections that are scheduled. So voting in the current Ōtorohanga District Council by-election would not be possible with the restrictions in place and we don't—certainly in the next phases either—want people congregating. So this just enables postponement from any by-elections to a time when it would be appropriate for people to be coming together.Another thing that this bill is changing which is considered substantive and I think speaks to some of the Government's connection to community that this has come through in the changes is a change to the Gambling Act—not something that I certainly would have expected to be part of our COVID response. But it enables charitable organisations specifically the Heart Foundation Coastguard and Countdown Kids Charitable Trust for whom one of their primary fund-raising mechanisms is through those raffles that people may have seen or bought at other times and that keeps those organisations running. But the legislation prevents those organisations from selling raffle tickets via online or by phone. So this is recognising that we don't want these organisations to fall over; we want them to be able to maintain their traditional funding base. So it makes a change to the Gambling Act to enable them to do that in this time when they can't do that on a face-to-face basis. I do really just want to acknowledge the extent of the Government's communication and connection to community that this type of change is being picked up and is being responded to so promptly in legislation. It gives me a lot of confidence for our future.So there's also the second tier as the Minister referred to it of technical changes and there are 22 minor amendments that fall into that category and they cover a wide range of things—so deferring regulatory requirements where we know that either the Government or the sector covered by the regulatory regime actually just won't have the time to be able to put the new system in place. So that covers I think the new system or regime that's been set up to regulate financial advisers just because in this context people haven't had the chance to get together to be able to do that work. It defers existing statutory deadlines and other minor exemptions where compliance would just not be possible. So firearms licences where people are not able to go in and we certainly don't want I'm assuming our police time taken up with renewing firearms licences at this time—there is other work for them to be doing. So this just extends that and makes sure that people aren't at odds with the legislation through no fault of their own and makes amendments to mitigate impracticality issues. So at the moment one example of this is to enable coroners to direct a pathologist to take swabs to test for COVID-19—pretty straightforward but actually not something that's supported by legislation at the moment and I think something that we all while it's a technical change have an interest in seeing that change happen quickly.Then also amendments to mitigate problems with legislative compliance and one of the examples of this is to allow clinical examinations or reviews under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act to be undertaken by audiovisual link instead of having to be face-to-face which is what the law requires at the moment. I think that is a good temporary measure—and obviously a temporary one; we wouldn't want to see that become the norm in other circumstances. But again we're happy to commend this bill.SPEAKER: Before I call the member I'm just going to ask Mr Faafoi to move the offending object. Thank you.