Barry Maggie: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBarry Maggie: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 23 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19453. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore):I rise to speak on the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill in the name of Sue Moroney. As we look at the principal Act which is the purpose of course of clause 3 we wonder really why we are here debating this one. The Budget that we handed down in May has already dealt with all of this so you are wasting the time of the House. We have already moved into this space and taken ownership of it. Really what we are looking at is the unaffordability of what has been proposed by the member who is sponsoring this bill. In the very first reading—I remember it well—Ms Moroney did indicate that she would like it expanded out from 26 weeks to over a year. You will not stop at 26 weeks and we cannot afford that as a country at this time. It is not possible. She is nodding and smiling. So it goes on. We go into a dark hole of indebtedness over a very expensive vote-buying element that you are trying to indulge in. That is not in the best interests of the economy and of this nation. We have already covered it.I think there has been some kind of research through the archives and looking back in Hansard on what other people have said and how apparently they have changed their minds. The time is now better economically for us to be able to afford what we proposed. The legislation that has been changed in the Budget does allow for paid parental leave. We have extended it out in a prudent and moderate fashion which is all we can afford at this stage. We cannot continue to borrow large sums of money to fund unaffordable election-grabbing things such as what this piece of legislation represents. It really is not on. It has already been defeated. The Government Administration Committee could not agree on it. There has been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing around things that might or might not be included in this bill. But really one wonders why it is still before the House.When we look at the principal Act of something like this bill it is supposed to amend the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987 but that has already been done. We have already covered that off. Really you need to move on. This may be the last members’ day of the 50th Parliament. There will be a lot that I can speak about when we come to the fourth part of this. When we look at what this Government has provided by extending the current 14 weeks out to 16 weeks—and that will be as of 1 April 2015—and then to 18 weeks as of 1 April 2016 then we are getting into territory that is affordable it is gradual it is helping parents it is helping children and it is helping families which is what this John Key National-led Government is all about.We put families at the centre of our policies which is why we spent $10.5 billion on health. It is why we continue to invest in education and reach targets for early childhood education. We are moving successfully to a stage where the economy can provide families with the ability to get off the benefit. Something like 1000 New Zealanders a week are going off the benefit. They will be able to put their families their children their households into a better state into a better place and remove them from poverty.Hon Member: More jobs.MAGGIE BARRY: More jobs of course as my colleague has pointed out. That is also what we are providing with the economy. It is incredibly important that we stay on track. Bill English is a classic Minister of Finance with short arms and long pockets. He has delivered two Budgets that have not thrown money wildly around. We are not about that. This is not what this Government does. But what we do is we target the money that is needed to the people that require it. The under-6s’ free general practitioner visits was an important development. It worked so well that we have spent a further $90 million and covered it off—Tracey Martin: New Zealand First policy.MAGGIE BARRY: Is there something wrong with the plumbing in the House? There seems to be an inordinate squeaking noise. Perhaps there are chihuahuas loose in the Chamber? It certainly sounds a bit like it. There is a funny squeaking noise which of course is unintelligible. Even if we could hear it it would not make any sense.As far as we are concerned when we look at the Budget and the changes that we have made we are providing funding to enable more pre-schoolers to attend quality early childhood education. That is giving the best possible start in life. It is something that is helping New Zealand’s most vulnerable. It is helping New Zealand children across the board and helping New Zealand families. We are rolling out eight more Children’s Teams around the country to help protect our most vulnerable children from abuse. The money that has been allocated in the Budget to sort out these historical sexual abuse claims—those sorts of things—is really going to make a difference and send a clear message to people who continue to perpetrate violence against women and children and families. We are not about to let that happen. Judith Collins has done very good work in this area. All of the entities the ministries of Government are working closely together. That is another characteristic of this Government. We are able to work together with the departments.