Burton Mark: Volunteers Employment Protection Amendment Bill Defence Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Readings 
Burton Mark: Volunteers Employment Protection Amendment Bill Defence Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Readings 
[Volume:616;Page:11960] 
Hon MARK BURTON (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 I am very happy to join the third reading debate and to see this good piece of legislation through its final stage in this Parliament. I acknowledge that Dr Wayne Mapp did sponsor the original bill to protect the employment of volunteers and provide support for their employers. It was a worthy bill and that is why the Government and I acknowledge every party in the House have provided active support to progress it now that we are at this point. This is not a time for playing politics and I hope we do not hear any more of that. The process in terms of the time that this bill has taken has largely been to do with the work required to be done by our Defence Force personnel in order to get it right. In saying that I acknowledge as Dr Mapp quite rightly did the sterling work of Brigadier Tim Brewer and the leadership that he in particular showed and I also acknowledge the work of the many other men and women in the Defence Force who have contributed to getting this legislation through to this point. 
I also acknowledge that we had quite a unique select committee process on this bill. Members of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee met as Dr Mapp indicated on many occasions—many of those meetings in my office. We worked together alongside Defence Force personnel and other interested parties to try to get this bill as good and as effective as it could be in terms of achieving the aims that are set out. I want to acknowledge all the members who took part in that process from all but one of the parties in Parliament. It was very satisfying to work with parliamentary colleagues in that collaborative manner. 
This bill was introduced back in 2000. It was referred to the select committee which heard submissions and then needed to go through a substantial rewrite and extension in order to achieve the things that I think were consistent with the original intention and the needs that Parliament and parliamentarians felt should be addressed. Significantly the scope of the bill was expanded in terms of the protection available for volunteers in all three services of the Territorial Force. As Dr Mapp has touched on that is dealt with by the proclamation for continuous service whether in New Zealand or overseas—that is a particularly important component of the bill—or when serving voluntarily for fixed periods when that service is declared to be a situation of national interest. 
The bill will ensure that through the principal Act we have relevant and up to date legislation in terms of the current employment environment. That was one of the important factors that required a lot of technical work on the part of officials. They had to ensure that this bill did dovetail in in an appropriate way with the vast amount of employment legislation and workplace legislation that has been enacted over the last 20 years. Out of that comes perhaps the single most important feature in this bill: the creation of the employer support council which will provide a framework to enable the negotiation of solutions between territorial and reservist force personnel and their employers on a flexible and where necessary on an individual basis. 
Territorial force personnel receive on-the-job training in leadership management teamwork and problem solving. It is of benefit to them I think. But equally I would suggest it is of great benefit to their employers and to their workplaces. It is my hope then that this bill will encourage more young people to join the Territorial Force and assist more employers to support their staff to participate in the Territorial Force. As I think Dr Mapp indicated we have to address both sides of that equation if we are serious about building the Territorial Force. 
Let us be clear about this: the present environment is one in which every volunteer organisation in the country is struggling to maintain the sorts of numbers it had in the past. In the last generation there have been huge changes in the fundamentals of our society in work habits in the workplace and in occupational arrangements. Volunteerism which is such a fundamentally important part of New Zealand society is challenged. There is no doubt about that. It is challenged here as it is in every voluntary organisation I know of. Most members in this House who regularly get back into the electorates around New Zealand and who are in touch with their electorates know that voluntary organisations by and large do struggle in the same way that the Territorial Force does. So we do have to take quite strong action to facilitate support and to recognise that when men and women give their time and talent and are prepared to be available to do the training there is a cost and a challenge to their employers as well. Out of this process we will see a balanced response and a way forward that will encourage support and facilitate both those who are willing to volunteer and the employers whose goodwill and generosity we also rely on and when necessary when those situations of national interest prevail ensure that there is fair recognition and recompense for those employers. 
I conclude by saying I too want to recognise the extraordinary contribution the Defence Force men and women both full-time professionals and volunteers—territorials and reservists—make to our country. I think over recent years one of the things we can all be very satisfied about in this House is that New Zealand does recognise that contribution and does celebrate and acknowledge it openly in ways that we have not always done in our past. I certainly applaud that and I think it is something that the men and women whom I meet week after week all around the country in our Defence Force appreciate. It is good that tonight this House is united in support of a bill that is in the best interests of those men and women. Let me thank all the parties in this House for their cooperation in advancing this legislation. In particular I extend my thanks to all members of the select committee both past and present. There are one or two former members like Graham Kelly and Doug Kidd who have played an active part in this legislation have been really keen and have continued to show that interest—in Graham Kelly’s case from the other side of the world and in Doug Kidd’s case regularly in terms of contacts and conversations with many of us. Their contribution is indeed appreciated. Thank you all and finally I welcome the passage of this legislation tonight.