Penk ChrisCHRIS PENK (National—Kaipara ki Mahurangi): Thank you very much Madam Chair. I'm very grateful for a chance for a call and it might just be a short one but I think it's an important point in relation to Part 2 and when I say short call" I mean only five minutes. I do have a question which is a very serious one for the Minister in the chair and it relates to the fact that we've got an Employment Relations Act amendment in this part of the bill but I'd like to know about workers who are not covered by the Employment Relations Act. The Minister may or may not know what I am talking about and I'll happily explain in a minute but there is at least one colleague of his on the other side of the Chamber actually present now who hopefully will know exactly what I'm talking about and I refer to the Minister of Defence—and I acknowledge the Hon Peeni Henare is noting these words as we speak. The Employment Relations Act does not apply to members of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) so I would like to know how the traffic light system to use its name in common parlance is going to apply to the activities and the operations of the New Zealand Defence Force in a way that is contemplated by this legislation given that Part 2 will not apply to those members. My first question is whether for the Defence Act or other legislation that has an equivalent effect on the employment rights—and I use the term loosely—of our soldiers sailors and air force personnel there will be an equivalent amendment—David Seymour: What about submariners? CHRIS PENK: —because I don't see it in there. I'm asked "What about submariners?" It's a question I often ask myself Mr Seymour and others ask it too. So the question then is whether there will be an equivalent amendment to deal with the rights that are being afforded to other New Zealanders and I'd use for example the leave or rather the notice period—paid—for four weeks. Other members have sort of talked about the relative merits of that and I don't intend to rehearse that ground. But paid time off for vaccinations—and again we can have a view on whether that's necessary or not. But suffice to say that in sticking up for the good men and women of the New Zealand Defence Force and those workers albeit they're not employees in the sense of the Employment Relations Act what is being provided if anything for them in relation to this legislation? On a related note I'd like the Minister to turn his mind to and give a bit more detail about how this relates to civilian contractors and others who would access New Zealand Defence Force bases notwithstanding that they're not covered by the exemption to the Employment Relations Act and also just how that interacts with the intention of Part 1. I don't want to go into that and I know I'm not allowed to Madam Chair but I would note there is a general flavour in the legislation whereby national security public safety and crisis response are matters of public interest as defined. So I'll leave my contribution there. But I do very much hope for a response from the Minister along those lines regarding NZDF personnel and their rights and responsibilities in relation to vaccination mandates and other areas that are covered by and contemplated by this albeit not specifically in the bill."