Williams Andrew: State Sector Amendment Bill Public Finance Amendment Bill (No 2) Crown Entities Amendment Bill — Third ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWilliams Andrew: State Sector Amendment Bill Public Finance Amendment Bill (No 2) Crown Entities Amendment Bill — Third Readings[Sitting date: 10 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:11938. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]State Sector Amendment BillPublic Finance Amendment Bill (No 2)ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First):I take a call on behalf of New Zealand First on this split legislation the State Sector Amendment Bill which we are opposing; the Public Finance Amendment Bill (No 2) which we are supporting; and the Crown Entities Amendment Bill which we are also supporting.I will speak mainly on the State Sector Amendment Bill which New Zealand First is opposing. This very large complex omnibus bill purports to be about providing the legislative basis for Better Public Services and strengthening the legislative framework. Yes there are lots and lots of fine words and empty phrases of more collaboration among Government departments sharing functions and services sharing the purchasing of goods and services logistics more efficient and effective systems and greater financial and reporting flexibility. And on and on goes the rhetoric. These are the same old buzz words—“efficiency” “simplify” “collaborate” “logistics” “flexibility” “streamline” and “improved governance”—that we hear time and time again but actually where the rubber hits the road it really is not happening.What this bill does not acknowledge honestly is that the public services in this country will continue to shrink. The fabric of our public sector will continue to fray. Is it not interesting that at a time when this Government wants to decimate the Public Service on the other hand in Christchurch a mainstay of the rebuild of the central business district is based on moving public servants into the centre of Christchurch and rebuilding large buildings there to be taken up by Government departments. This Government says that the future of the Christchurch central business district is very much anchored on public servants and public services being based in the central business district. Yet here in Wellington where we have a Prime Minister who says that the capital of this country is a dying city the Government is all about decimating the Public Service and reducing it to a shadow of its former great self.This same thinking or should I say lack of thinking led to the likes of the Pike River coalmine disaster with the reduction in the number of mines inspectors. It led to theRena ship disaster where the work simply was not being done to ensure that the legislation was through to make sure that New Zealand was fully covered in a situation like that. It led to a situation where an emergency vessel that was suggested never came to be and because that was not carried out we did not have the resources here and the nearest resource to react to such a situation was in Singapore. It led to the situation of the leaky homes where again the Government took its eye off the ball and for many many years allowed this country to get into a situation of a decade of substandard building of homes schools hospitals and the like. Now this National Government having changed the rules back in the 1990s and having allowed leaky buildings to be built is having to spend the best part of $30 billion of New Zealanders’ money to fix up the problems that were created back in the 1990s under a National Government.It led also to biosecurity breaches like thePsa infestation of kiwifruit where again the Government dropped the ball and because there was insufficient oversight that occurred. It led to border control by our customs officers and immigration officers seeing some serious breaches. This is continually under threat and if the Public Service continues to be reduced our border security and our customs and immigration services will be severely curtailed. We have a situation now under this Government that visa-free access is being allowed for questionable people coming in on China Southern Airlines to fly in jump in the first available limo go straight to Skycity—which is part of the rest of its sleazy deals—and be there for a number of days virtually without any scrutiny.Again you would wonder whether this country is really being governed and really being taken care of. Is there a Government structure? Does the Government really want to ensure that we do have civil servants and a Public Service that can actually ensure the security and the well-being of this sovereign country?These issues are not going to be resolved by the State Sector Amendment Bill. The short-term ideologically based thinking that damaged New Zealand is not countered by this bill. This bill is not the solution for anything; rather it entrenches current problems.This bill will not stop the erosion and undermining of the public sector—a public sector that New Zealand has always been proud of; a public sector that has helped build the fabric and the spine of this country; a public sector that was responsible for creating our dams our energy companies our State-owned enterprises; a public sector that helped build the very infrastructure that keeps this country ticking over. I am talking about the roading the railways the airlines the military the defence forces and the Civil Service that keeps the basis and the integrity of this country ticking over.If it was all left to private enterprises—if it was all left to the Government’s mates to run as this National Government would like to see—we would indeed be in a very sad state in this country. This country has always had a very strong sound Public Service sector. We have been a welfare State for the best part of the last century. We have been revered around the world for what our State services have provided to a small country which when I was young was only 2 million people but is now 4.5 million people during which time for such a small population for a relatively small country we were able to punch heavily above our weight because we did have the State structure to support that for a very small population.This bill will not stop that erosion. Where is the evidence that this bill will bring more effective public services? Where is the evidence that this bill will lead to better-quality public services and innovative ideas in the Public Service? Why is it necessary to strengthen the State Services Commissioner’s role in leading the State Services Commission? Why do we need a new organisational arrangement called departmental agencies? Where is the justification for this increasing complexity?This bill creates an illusion of progress and improvement but the evidence to support it is sadly missing. There is no clear and compelling case that this bill takes us to better and more cost-effective public services. No we do not want a bloated Public Service and we do not want a bloated public sector but we do not want a hollowed-out one either and that is what this National Government would want to see—a hollowed-out public sector that can no longer deliver the requirements to New Zealand. New Zealand First will not be supporting the State Sector Amendment Bill.