Beaumont Carol: Regulatory Improvement Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Beaumont Carol: Regulatory Improvement Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Sitting date: 30 March 2010. Volume:661;Page:10185. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CAROL BEAUMONT (Labour) 
: 
 I too rise to speak in support of the Regulatory Improvement Bill and acknowledge the work of my colleague the Hon Lianne Dalziel. Like others I will probably mention her several times in this 5 minute contribution; I am sure I will not be able to reach the heights of David Parker but that should not be taken as an indication of any less esteem in which I hold my colleague. This is an omnibus bill that makes amendments to nine pieces of legislation with the objective of improving the regulatory framework and reducing the compliance burden on business. It was introduced by the Hon Lianne Dalziel. 
I want to acknowledge the Minister in the chair the Hon Rodney Hide; that is something I do not often do but do I want to acknowledge that he has recognised the work undertaken by the previous Government and by the previous Minister of Commerce Lianne Dalziel. I think it is important to acknowledge that because often it is said that Labour does not support business in this country. The fact that this bill is here is a very clear example of the contrary: that in fact Labour does support business in New Zealand and that we have worked very hard to improve the regulatory environment that business operates in. I know for a fact that the Hon Lianne Dalziel in her previous capacity as Minister was absolutely passionate about improving the environment for business. I came across her in that capacity in a number of ways myself prior to being in Parliament both as a member of the Small Business Advisory Group and as the secretary of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. Just as people do not necessarily believe that Labour is business-friendly—incorrectly as it transpires—likewise people often do not recognise that the trade union movement has a very real interest in ensuring that our businesses are successful and that they do not face unnecessary regulatory impediments. It is about having successful good-quality businesses that people can work in. 
I shall talk about one of the submissions to this bill. The bill was a result of a quite extensive process—a process of 15 months of talking with people identifying barriers and recognising that when businesses deal with various Acts of Parliament and various agencies of Government they do not necessarily see them as separate agencies; they often see them as a single entity: the Government. “I’m from the Government. I’m here to help you.” was one of the catchcries. 
One of the submissions made to the Commerce Committee chaired of course by the Hon Lianne Dalziel was made by the Motor Trade Association on one of the provisions. The submission was particularly about the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act and significant changes have been made to that legislation as a result of this work. In fact in Part 6 of the bill members will see a significant raft of changes to that Act. The submission of the Motor Trade Association talked about the fact that collision repairers and service station operators frequently come up against hazardous substances and where appropriate businesses obtain the necessary site and approved handlers’ certificates as required by the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act. However the association advises its member organisations to keep their stock of hazardous substances below the trigger points for licensing. That is a sensible common-sense arrangement and enables them to work out the appropriate risk-management practices in their workplace. 
I am now coming to a point the association raised which I think is an important one for the Minister to note. It raised the concern that two territorial authorities had decided to require businesses to provide them with inventories of substances below the trigger points listed in the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act. When questioned about that businesses were told that the authorities were requiring businesses to provide such a list in terms of the Health and Safety in Employment Act. The select committee process followed through with that particular concern of the submitter and members were told by officials that the points raised by the submitter were valid. However they relate to operational matters and they have been referred to the appropriate agencies where they are being addressed at an administrative level. The reason I am raising this is that I would like to know from the Minister whether that has been done because one of the issues around regulation is not just the law but the operation of the law. So Mr Chair can I just— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: The member’s time has expired. Stop! 
CAROL BEAUMONT 
: I did call again. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: No you did not. 
CAROL BEAUMONT 
: I did. I said “Mr Chair”. If you take the  
Hansard 
 record you will find that. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: You should do that immediately the bell rings and then I am not confused as to whether you are referring to me as a matter of emphasis as some people do. The member just continued to talk after the bell so I want to clear up how we do this. Is the member seeking a call? 
CAROL BEAUMONT 
: I certainly am. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: Carol Beaumont. 
CAROL BEAUMONT 
: Thank you Mr Chair and I will make sure I am much clearer on the matter next time. As I was saying I have a question for the Minister. It is an important one because this is an area where we get the overlap between what the law and regulation says and what the operational practice is on the ground. The Motor Trade Association raised a very valid point; officials recognised that valid point and said they were going to ensure that the relevant organisations were looking at the various administrative arrangements in regard to this sort of matter. I say to the Minister that members on this side of the House would be grateful to know how that work is going because on a common-sense level that will be the sort of thing that makes a difference on the ground. Thank you.