Norman Russel William: Employment Relations (Film Production Work) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
Norman Russel William: Employment Relations (Film Production Work) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
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Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 I rise to speak on the title clause of this “Warner Bros Bill” that we have before us. I rise to speak to what sadly has become the Warner Bros Parliament. We are sitting tonight at the behest of Warner Bros because Warner Bros want to push this bill through the House. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: The member was pulled up during the second reading—[ 
Interruption 
] I am on my feet. Speaker’s ruling 52/1 makes it very clear that although we can say that Warner Bros may influence an outcome we cannot say that they have directed it. It is quite a good paragraph which the member might like to refer to. It is Speaker’s ruling 52/1. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I apologise to the member. I think the Speaker’s ruling refers to members and to parties. I am not sure whether it refers to the Parliament. I have never heard that expression before. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: I have. By referring to Parliament it brings the members within Parliament into that frame. 
Dr RUSSEL NORMAN 
: Warner Bros have clearly had some influence as the Speaker’s ruling allows me to say. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Did they buy the naming rights? 
Dr RUSSEL NORMAN 
: They have had tremendous influence on this bill. The fact is that Parliament is tonight meeting under urgency in order to deal with this bill that would benefit Warner Bros. 
It seems to me that we have become used to corporate welfare. Corporate welfare has become well known across the planet. It used to involve just money. OK on this occasion it is $100 million and the National Government has added an extra $33 million to the previous level of corporate welfare but it used to mean just money. But it now means that if this is the “Employment Relations (Warner Bros) Amendment Bill” not only are Warner Bros getting money but they are also bringing about a change in New Zealand’s industrial relations law. That is an entirely new level in the meaning of corporate welfare. If this bill the “Employment Relations (Warner Bros) Amendment Bill” sets a new standard globally for changing legislation for a sovereign democratic Parliament in a way that would suit a corporate multinational this is an entirely new level. 
Tonight we are debating under urgency a bill that has been influenced by Warner Bros as I am allowed to say under  
Speakers’ Rulings 
. This bill has been influenced by Warner Bros and we are debating it under urgency. It is not about just money. It used to be about just money. All taxpayers have to put their hands in their pockets to provide corporate welfare. It is now also under the “Employment Relations (Warner Bros) Amendment Bill” as I would like to rename it about changing the very legislation under which our country is governed. It represents a whole new level of altering the basic relationships between a people and their Government. 
The relationship between a people and their Government in a democratic system is supposed to be one where there is representation. But under this bill the “Employment Relations (Warner Bros) Amendment Bill” as I think it should be renamed Warner Bros are in fact interfering in the relationship between a people and their Government. It is a fundamental transgression of the idea of sovereignty in our country for us to rewrite industrial relations law for the benefit of Warner Bros. 
There is another title we could come up with for this bill. The National Government has said it does not like to lead on climate change. “We will not be leaders on climate change.” its members tell us. However they are willing to be leaders in the race to the bottom so we could call the bill the “Employment Relations (Race to the Bottom) Amendment Bill”. We are leading in the global race to the bottom to make Warner Bros happy by weakening our industrial relations laws. So if we were to call the bill the “Employment Relations (Race to the Bottom) Amendment Bill” we could say that the National Government is finally leading on something. It is not leading on climate change and it is not leading on anything else. It is finally leading in the race to the bottom to weaken our industrial relations law for the benefit of a corporate multinational. 
We are sitting under urgency tonight to deal with this bill which under the title clause we are debating should be called the “Employment Relations (Warner Bros) Amendment Bill”. We are meeting under urgency tonight under the influence of Warner Bros as I am allowed to say under  
Speakers’ Rulings 
 in order to ram through this bill so that it becomes the law of the land in what is supposedly a democratic and sovereign country. It is embarrassing it is unacceptable and it is a fundamental transgression of the idea of democratic sovereignty. The National Government should be ashamed of itself. 
The Green Party joins with Labour and others in welcoming the fact that  
The Hobbit  
will be based in New Zealand and filmed here. I note that  
Avatar 
 was also based in New Zealand and there was no need to change the existing labour relations regime. I remind National members that  
Avatar  
was about an environmental issue. They might have heard about the environment. That film was a great success. It was the story of a people fighting against a giant corporation not unlike Warner Bros. We would like to rename this bill the “Employment Relations (Warner Bros) Amendment Bill”. In  
Avatar 
 which was successfully filmed in New Zealand under the existing industrial relations framework it was the people who were being attacked by a giant corporation that sought to take over their planet. That is not entirely unlike the attack that Warner Bros has launched.