Bayly Andrew: Health and Safety Reform Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBayly Andrew: Health and Safety Reform Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 30 July 2015. Volume:707;Page:5538. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW BAYLY (National—Hunua): Tēnā koutou e te Whare Pāremata. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak in the second reading of this bill. Before doing so I want to acknowledge the leadership of the Hon Michael Woodhouse and also the other members of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee from both National and the Opposition. Although we are now entering the political side of the discussion on this bill I think it is important to note that my belief is that the select committee agreed on the vast majority of the clauses in this bill. There have been some small differences but we have had large-scale agreement on this bill which is a very important aspect.I just want to focus on a couple of issues concerning the bill in relation to how we are going to go about achieving the objective which is obviously to reduce death and serious injury by 25 percent by 2020. The most crucial part of this bill is that we are trying to bring about a change in culture as to how people think and execute safe work practices and this legislation will not be regarded as being successful unless there is a fundamental shift in the way that everyone in a workplace thinks about and undertakes health and safety. That cultural change is absolutely essential. So the question is how we bring about a cultural change.The primary focus is that we should be looking to achieve effective and pragmatic health and safety policies within the workplace not necessarily trying to enshrine a compliance framework. This is best achieved when directors managers and the workers in the business all get together to work out the best way to achieve it. Given that 97 percent of New Zealand businesses employ 20 or fewer people it is our view that they should have some flexibility to be able to work out the framework that best suits their business. This comes back to the cultural issue. The first preference is for everyone in a business—everyone in a business—to be involved in the health and safety decisions. Contrary to press reports this bill does not stop the obligation of persons conducting a business or undertaking to engage meaningfully with their workers nor does it obviate the need to come up with proper health and safety practices.The other aspect that I just want to talk a little bit about is duty of care. Naturally the previous draft of the bill had a duty of care between the person conducting a business or undertaking and the workers of the business. This bill takes that a little bit further in the sense that it also requires workers to make sure that when they are going about their own business whether they are working on a machine or whether they are a receptionist or whatever they take care in the way they look after themselves in the workplace and secondly and just as important they look after their colleagues in the workplace. So what we have ended up with is an inextricably linked connection between the person conducting a business or undertaking the worker and the colleagues in the business. Those are two of the crucial aspects that are going to make sure that the cultural change that we want to see actually occurs. Thank you very much.