Dalziel Lianne: New Zealand Sign Language Bill — Second Reading 
Dalziel Lianne: New Zealand Sign Language Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:629;Page:1459] 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Minister of Commerce) 
: 
 This is an important day for the New Zealand Deaf community as it marks a further step towards the recognition of New Zealand Sign Language as an official language. That is important in terms of the symbolism it represents but more so on a practical level it provides members of the Deaf community with the confidence to assert their right to communicate in their own language. It is not a prescriptive law but rather an enabling one and that has been the approach of this Government. 
I want to pay personal tribute to the Hon Ruth Dyson in that regard. As Minister for Disability Issues she has worked closely with different communities to ensure that their needs are identified and addressed. In a debate such as this where none of us have the ability to communicate as part of a particular community we can do so only on behalf of those members of the community we have met. Having had the pleasure of sitting on the Justice and Electoral Committee that considered this bill I know that the Minister’s own personal commitment is both recognised and honoured by the community. The Minister can personally feel proud of what she has achieved and know that the gratitude of the community is both genuine and heartfelt. 
As a Parliament too we can take pride in adopting a non-partisan approach to this legislation. It means a lot to the community that this bill is passing without dissent. 
 I want to pay tribute to two very special people—David and Rachel McKee who head the Deaf Studies Research Unit of Victoria University. At the select committee not only did they provide us with a real insight into the Deaf community but they gave us some training so that we could greet submitters welcome them to the committee and thank them for their submission. I know that the submitters were genuinely appreciative of our efforts in that regard and given that this was probably the first time that many of them had come to Parliament we were pleased we were able to be welcoming to them. 
I also thank the interpreters. Not only did we have the challenge of hearings in Wellington; we also had the added challenge of distance submissions requiring interpreters to be used in other centres with questions and answers being interpreted in the select committee room at the same time. 
All submissions as we have heard were in support of the bill. As a result of the submissions and the excellent support of the advisers from the Office for Disability Issues and the Ministry of Social Development we made some minor amendments that have strengthened the legislation without detracting from its original purpose which is to promote and maintain the use of New Zealand Sign Language. The Minister has identified the changes that we made so I will not go through those here. But I do want to acknowledge that we received many helpful submissions—or advice really—from a range of departments: the Ministry of Health the Ministry of Justice the Department of Corrections the New Zealand Police the Ministry of Education and the Law Commission. What those indicated to me was a widespread understanding within the Government sector of the barriers faced by deaf people when accessing services and information. That leaves me very confident that the interdepartmental working-groups will be working hard to remove the language barriers they know exist especially in the areas of health education employment and public broadcasting. 
I conclude by thanking everyone who made submissions. Parliament’s task is made easier when such overwhelming support for a measure is evidenced in this way. I felt privileged to sit on the select committee and I am pleased that the House itself has made provision for this bill’s second reading to be made accessible to the Deaf community through agreed hours and interpretation services. As the Minister said today is a cause for celebration and I too commend the bill to the House.