O'Connor Simon: New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Southern DHB) Elections Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Connor Simon: New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Southern DHB) Elections Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 08 December 2015. Volume:710;Page:8612. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SIMON O’CONNOR (National—Tāmaki): I am thinking as I stand to speak on the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Southern DHB) Elections Bill that we may have to move an immediate amendment to appoint a commissioner to replace the previous speaker David Clark. We have just heard around this particular bill a long sort of diatribe if you will around problems in health. It is the same usual tired material we have heard from the Opposition. It is tired for two reasons. One is that it is constantly repeated. The second is of course that it does not go with any of the facts.Just to give very quick context actually about the Southern District Health Board and I am sure you will hear it more from the excellent members who represent the people down in that area the Southern District Health Board has actually benefited from over $800 million of funding. In fact there has been an increase of over $130 million for that district health board over the last 7 years. There are 66 more doctors and 195 more nurses but in saying that this Government is very clear—very clear—that there is always more that can be done.In fact that is one of the falsities if you will that has just been put out by the Opposition. Somehow there is the idea that there is a magic number that can be spent in health and that all of a sudden everything can be taken care of. Those of us who have engaged with or have worked in the health sector public or private know that there is an insatiable need and the question for the Government is to work in the best way to ensure the best access to health care for all New Zealanders be it in the Southern District Health Board or in any of the others.In fact the other area that was incorrect was this talk about needing to look at the funding models. It is all very well and good for the Opposition to say that. It is what Oppositions do. Of course those who were on the Health Committee last week would have heard that the Ministry of Health is looking at the funding models. So there is actually proactivity there from the Government and there has been for a while. I just encourage the Opposition to get a bit more involved and up to speed.This bill is a very simple bill. As has been noted it is basically suspending the elections at the Southland District Health Board next year. It is common sense. It makes an enormous amount of sense. A commissioner has rightly been appointed very recently to assist this district health board particularly around its fiscal management and it does not make any sense at all to de-appoint the commissioner and reappoint board members just as the commissioner has begun the job.This is a simple bill. I think it is an excellent bill. It is a prudent bill. We want I think as a Government to see the commissioner and the team have a bit more time. I fully support it. The Health Committee is a busy committee. We have moved through quite a bit of legislation but we welcome more coming to us. I agree with what the Minister is saying around the report-back time. I think without presuming the committee’s business that we will take that into account. Again this is a fairly simple and narrow bill to achieve a path back to democracy and a path back to better funding. Thank you.