Warren-Clark AngieANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's a real pleasure to stand today and talk on this bill. It's actually a real pleasure after the sounds we've heard and the noise and being in urgency this morning to have harmony in the House. It's a wonderful thing that we are all in agreement around this bill the Election Access Fund Bill.I want to acknowledge you Chlöe Swarbick—rick. Swarbrick. Sorry I slurred. I want to acknowledge you because absolutely every time you have something that you're passionate about you throw yourself into it 100 percent and you represent the people that your legislation covers 100 percent. I want to acknowledge your energy. I want to acknowledge the careful way you have gone about working on this piece of legislation and honouring what Mojo Mathers brought to this House. So thank you for that.So this bill—we've heard it across the House—does a number of things. But I wanted to just acknowledge before I continue that yesterday was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities—3 December. Yesterday I was at the Access Alliance meeting for the Parliamentary Champions for Accessibility Legislation. This is a cross-party group and I just want to acknowledge their campaign. I'd like to lay a challenge down to everyone here in this House. It's been great. We've heard everyone's support for this piece of legislation but there is a campaign and it's called It's time for an accessibility law in New Zealand." That will be coming to a Parliament near you soon people and I look forward to your support.This bill is probably the perfect example of talking about the difference between equality and equity. So equality is as we know about everyone being the same and getting the same. Equity is about providing the difference—that sometimes we are not the same and others need help. This is about us being able to and ensuring that there is the ability for people with disabilities to stand in a general election or by-election. Now MMP is a wonderful process that has come and has really supported inclusivity but it is very hard to run in a campaign. It is very hard to be selected. It's hard enough as an able-bodied person to do that. Where there is disability the additional barriers that are faced by these people are extreme.We have to really acknowledge that this piece of legislation really supports and encourages the ability for full participation. It's still going to be a hard task for those people to run in a campaign. Their task will be more difficult than perhaps mine will be. I found it hard enough. I needed at times someone to drive me around while I was campaigning. I needed someone to make me a meal. I needed sometimes someone to just ring me and tell me about that piece of legislation or policy that we were going to be talking about. Imagine the barriers that people with disabilities face. So I'm really delighted that this piece of legislation has as far as I understand unanimous support in the House.Now the bill does a number of things and I just want to very briefly go through them. The bill covers not only national elections but it also covers by-elections. It's really important that we cover by-elections because this is sometimes a real opportunity of time and space where people are able to stand.It talks about the definition of "disabled persons". Now I really like this. I didn't sit on the Governance and Administration Committee but I have to acknowledge that everyone did such a good job. This is a wonderful piece of legislation. So we talk about "disabled persons" rather than "persons with disabilities". I really like that. I like it because they futureproofed it—they futureproofed it because right now we may understand that a person with disabilities has a definition but actually "disabled persons" moves the conversation forward and doesn't give a black and white definition. I think that's really useful.It talks about the eligibility for funding. Now previously in the first reading the bill allowed for political parties to apply and it also allowed for the not-for-profit entities to apply on behalf of someone who wanted to stand. Now the select committee agreed at that time that they wanted to ensure that there was no bias. They wanted to ensure that there was no politicising of this money. So they have ensured and put in place very clearly that it is the individual person—the individual person—who will get access to this funding. It won't be an organisation. Now whether or not that creates an additional barrier perhaps that's a question that can be asked. But what I would say is there is no fear or favour in that process and I really like that. I like that the payments would not be an election expense or a donation.So this again goes back to equity. It is in fact not money that a person has fundraised for or needs to account for in their electoral expenses and finances; it's actually about trying to redress the balance giving the equity in the place.So I really like that part of this legislation. In fact there's nothing I don't like about this legislation I must say. Payments will be tax exempt so you're not as a person who's already running with barriers having to pay tax because we know that people with disabilities often earn less. So this tries again to rebalance.Finally this piece of legislation will be reviewed—a one-off review in three years' time. I think that that's useful. Did it do what it was intended to do? Has this enabled people to stand for Parliament and support accessibility? So that's what the review will do.This is a really tidy piece of legislation. It changes the principal Act which is the Electoral Act 1993 to give us some real and genuine shifts around representation. It's an active step an active step to enabling the ability for people to be able to participate. So I think I will probably take my seat at this point but on behalf of the Labour Party to all those members here in the House I want to thank everyone for supporting this piece of legislation. It is small but important. This is only the beginning—only the beginning—of us seeing some true inclusivity in this House. Thank you Madam Speaker.Bill read a second time."